President A kufo-Addo commissi oning Miro Forestry Ghana Limited
PRESIDENT NANA Akufo-Addo on Friday commissioned the Miro Forestry Ghana Limited at Drobonso in the Sekyere Afram Plains Constituency of the Ashanti Region.
The company, which is operating under government’s ‘One District, One Factory’ initiative, processes a variety of wood species.
It is one of the 181 projects that have been selected for implementation by government, through the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
Miro Forestry Ghana Limited has already created 1,100 jobs for the youth of Drobonso, with its main products including rotary veneer, small diameter broom poles, and wood waste. Also, it has cultivated some 8,500 hectares of different species of trees, and is working towards the acquisition of additional land to increase the number of species under cultivation to 15,000 hectares in Sekyere Afram Plains.
In a remark, President Akufo-Addo encouraged the management of the company to aim at establishing their presence in the ECOWAS market, and also take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which would be fully operational from July 2020, to export their products to other parts of Africa.
He commended the promoters of Miro Forestry Ghana Limited for making such an investment in the Sekyere Afram Plains District to support the industrial transformation agenda of the government.
President Akufo-Addo reiterated government’s determination, through the Ministry of Trade and Industry, to collaborate with the private sector to implement a comprehensive programme for industrial transformation, anchored on 10 Pillars.
Management of the company said a planned expansion of the plantation would ensure a sustainable supply of raw materials, with the wood species being cultivated including eucalyptus, gmelina and acacia managium.
That will also significantly increase the number of direct employees of the company, and offer employment to the residents of Drobonso and the surrounding villages to help improve their livelihoods and the economy of the District.
Promoter of the factory told President Akufo-Addo that arrangements had already been made to install another veneer processing line before the end of this year, and also a plywood mill by the year 2020.