Ebenezer McHammah
The government has been asked to consider awarding at least 50 percent of all equipment contracts under the One-District, One-Factory policy to indigenous firms.
Ebenezer McHammah, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of McHammah Engineering, a Ghanaian owned electromechanical engineering company, who made the call recently, observed that Ghana has competent engineering companies such as McHammah Engineering and Kantanka Automobile, which can produce quality equipment for the implementation of the One-District, One-Factory policy.
According to him, awarding the equipment production contract under the One-District, One-Factory policy to local companies would also go a long way to contribute to Ghana’s socio-economic development.
He appealed to the government to reduce the importation of agricultural equipment, explaining that “until we own our technology, there will be no way out. We have to use our indigenous technology in agriculture mechanisation.”
He said it was high time industrial revolution took place in Ghana through the implementation of the One-District, One-Factory policy.
“We, artisans and engineers in Ghana, want to see that at least 50 percent of equipment for the project are manufactured locally,” he added.
He noted that in the course of producing the equipment, they would impact skills and knowledge to the youth.
Mr McHammah noted that they would also prepare the grounds for the production of spare parts in future.”
Even if spare parts are not cheap; the manufacturers would still impact skills and knowledge to the youth of the country, Mr McHammah said.
He said McHammah Engineering would establish Training Centre at Akraman in the Central Region, which would provide skills training for those in both the formal and informal sector.
McHammah Engineering produces versatile products such as filling machines, stainless steel tanks, soap processing machines, conveyors, fruit extracting machines, industrial blenders, industrial furnace, powder-cereal processing machines and press machines.
By Melvin Tarlue