President Akufo-Addo yesterday commissioned the biggest salt mine ever in the history of the African continent.
Located at Sege, in the Ada West District, Electrochem Salt Mine, which is run by the McDan Group, has the ability to produce 650,000 metric tonnes of salt per annum.
It is expected to increase production capacity to one million metric tonnes in 2024, and to two million metric tonnes by 2027, making it the biggest salt producing facility in Africa.
For 54 years, President Akufo-Addo, who graced the occasion, said successive government’s tried without success to harness the full value of the Songhor Lagoon in which the company mines its salt.
He, therefore, could not hide his excitement at the achievement, saying, “I am glad that under the government of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the Songhor Lagoon is being brought into full production for the benefit of residents of Ada and citizens of the entire nation.”
In all this, he said “the man who is to receive the plaudits for the brilliance of what we are witnessing today is the courageous, excellent entrepreneur, Mr. Daniel McKorley, aka McDan,” whilst touting his credentials, “this is the first time in recent history that an indigenous Ghanaian businessman owns one of the biggest extractive industries in Africa. He is a shining example of what determination and perseverance can produce. Ayekoo!!”
The President recalled a news item he came across in the run-up to the 2008 elections which suggested that the Federal Republic of Nigeria was in the process of importing $2 billion worth of salt from Brazil.
“You can imagine the thoughts that were running through my mind. Think with me for a moment about the prospects of Ghana selling $2 billion worth of salt to Nigeria and the ripple effects the sale of such a simple commodity, which Nigeria and, indeed, many other countries in West Africa import from other continents, can have on our economy,” he noted.
As an advocate for value-addition activities since coming into office in January 2017, evidenced in the implementation of the One District One Factory (1D1F) policy, President Akufo-Addo expressed excitement that Electrochem is in the process of constructing a salt refinery, in addition to a port not too far away from its mine site, for the purpose of exporting refined salt products to the wider African market.
With Accra serving as the headquarters of the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), he was confident the expected revenues of $1 billion dollars to the company will be surpassed.
On behalf of the government and people of Ghana, he expressed profound appreciation to the Paramount Chief of the Ada Traditional Area, Nene Abram Kabu Akuaku III, his chiefs, and to the people of Ada for the support given to the success of the project.
President Akufo-Addo also promised to put a request by McDan for the construction of some major road projects leading to the mine, saying, “I will put these requests before the Minister for Roads and Highways, and ensure that he does his best to construct the roads. I intend to take a personal interest in them.”
He reiterated his belief that not only is Ghana the best place for doing business in West Africa, but also the preferred destination for a perfect blend of mineral resource potential, stable regulatory environment, favourable fiscal regime, and socially responsive mining in Africa.
“In spite of our present challenges, I maintain that it is an exciting time to be in Ghana, and do business in the country. The Akufo-Addo government is determined to make Ghana an example of rapid economic growth within the context of a well-developed market economy, where the private sector does not only survive, but actually thrives,” President Akufo-Addo stated.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent