Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah
As part of efforts to fast-track the test production at the West African Mills Company Limited (WAMCO), a cocoa processing company in Takoradi, this month, the German majority shareholder of the company, has voted $3 million to purchase cocoa beans, the company’s raw materials.
The minority shareholder, Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), has also come up with some proposals to inject more money into the company to complement that of the majority shareholder to ensure that it starts work immediately.
The move indicates that both majority and minority shareholders are prepared to make the revival of the defunct cocoa processing company a reality.
The cocoa processing company was shut down for three and half years after COCOBOD allegedly stopped supplying cocoa beans to the company due to accumulated debts running into millions of cedis.
However, during the recent visit of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to the Western Region, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of COCOBOD, Joseph Boahen Aidoo, gave assurance that government would revive the defunct company.
Member of Parliament (MP) for Takoradi, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, in an interview with BUSINESS GUIDE, said the revival of the cocoa processing company, which has the capacity to process 230 tonnes of cocoa beans per day, would lessen the plight of the workers, most of whom had been rendered redundant.
He noted that the General Manager of the company was in Accra recently to formalize procedures for the delivery of cocoa beans to WAMCO adding “the plan is that the test production will be for three months during which about 300 workers will be recruited”.
“Now the majority shareholder controls the company and they will appoint the General Manager, Managing Director (MD) and the Deputy Manager for Finance.”
“But as part of the sunshine policy of the majority shareholder, they have opened up the system and has asked COCOBOD to nominate the deputy MD of the company,” he revealed.
The Takoradi MP was grateful to President Nana Akufo-Addo for putting pressure on COCOBOD and the Ministry of Agriculture to ensure the revival of the company.
A recent visit by BUSINESS GUIDE to the premises of the company revealed that preparations were underway for the test run of the machines soon.
Some cleaning, other repair and maintenance works are currently ongoing.
According to management of WAMCO, the company would start with some workers for the test run but the number would increase when the cocoa processing company starts full operations by the end of the year.
The company, which has been granted a free zone board status, comprises three factories, including Expeller Plant, Cocoa Liquor Plant and Hydraulic Press Plant.
The first two plants are in WAMCO 1 and the other is in WAMCO 2.
The expeller plant uses the expeller methods for the extraction of butter from the cocoa beans.
The crude butter extracted is then purified, deodorized and packaged with the brand name, ‘Deodorized Butter’ and ‘Expeller Cocoa Cake’.
At the Cocoa Liquor Plant, roasted cocoa beans are winnowed and the nibs milled into a fine paste which is sterilized, cooled by tempering machine and blocked as Natural Cocoa Liquor.
The plant has a facility to alkalize the liquor.
Deputy Managing Director of WAMCO, Frank Bednar, indicated that several attempts to help revive the company previously were not successful.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi