The President of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Dr. Yaw Adu Gyamfi has called for a revision of the National Industrial Policy, saying current government initiatives such as 1D1F among others need to be incorporated into the existing policy.
Dr. Gyamfi made this call at the opening of the Ghana Industrial Summit and Exhibition 2018 on Tuesday, while recognizing government’s efforts at setting up industries that will create sustainable jobs for the citizenry, especially the youth.
He noted that, the country had an industrial policy, which started under the previous NPP government, and completed in the NDC regime.
Under the National Industrial Policy, the industrial sector specific policies include measures to strengthen the links between industry, and research and development institutions; and decentralize industrial development to exploit the resource endowments of districts.
Further to this, the policy is expected to establish new and emerging industries such as petrochemicals, fertilizer, and the production LPG cylinders on the back of the new oil and gas industry. It will establish manufacturing enterprises to process agricultural produce, especially beans, fruits, and shea nuts.
However, Dr. Gyamfi suggested the need to revisit the policy, to incorporate the different initiatives of government into the plan.
“Where is the national strategy to ensure that we grow the raw materials to feed the factories under 1D1F? How is this linked to strategic activities of the ministry of food and agriculture? Where is the national strategy for creating market for the products from the 1D1F,” he asked?
Speaking on the current situation of the manufacturing sector, He indicated that the picture has not been encouraging, saying, “we are actually deindustrializing.”
In 2017, Ghana’s manufacturing contribution to GDP was estimated at 4.2 percent, which was below the 22 percent for the middle-income countries.
The policy will also exploits the limestone deposits in northern Ghana for the production of cement and for industry, as well as utilizing the significant clay deposits in the country for the production of bricks, for construction purposes.
By Joshua W. Amlanu
