The Minister-Designate for Trade, Agribusiness, and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, has vowed to revitalise the Komenda Sugar Factory, a long-stalled project critical to Ghana’s sugar production ambitions.
Speaking during her vetting by the Parliamentary Appointments Committee on January 22, Ofosu-Adjare highlighted the factory’s potential to significantly reduce Ghana’s reliance on sugar imports, which currently cost the country around $500 million annually.
The Komenda Sugar Factory, commissioned in 2016, has remained non-operational due to significant hurdles, including a lack of raw materials and missing machinery components. These challenges have rendered the facility unable to fulfil its intended purpose of bolstering local sugar production and reducing dependency on imports.
“I have been told that as we speak, the Komenda Sugar Factory is not operational, and one of the major challenges the factory has suffered is the lack of raw materials to feed that industry and some missing parts,” Ofosu-Adjare stated.
She acknowledged that funds had been allocated previously to address these issues but stressed the need for a thorough assessment to determine the factory’s current condition.
Ofosu-Adjare pledged to work collaboratively with stakeholders to address the factory’s challenges and restore it to functionality. She emphasised the economic importance of the project, not just for reducing imports but also for job creation and local industry stimulation.
“So I will work to ensure we know the actual health of the factory. It’s obvious we need that factory to work for the benefit of Ghanaians because we are importing about half a million dollars’ worth of sugar into the country,” she noted.
The minister-designate outlined her plans to engage with relevant ministries, agricultural partners, and local communities to secure a steady supply of sugarcane, the primary raw material for the factory. She stressed the importance of a sustainable strategy that aligns with the government’s broader industrialisation agenda.
