Group angry after Minister, MCE ‘abandoned’ public forum on Komenda Sugar Factory

A group calling itself the concerned citizens of Komenda Traditional Area, has bemoaned what it describes as the lack of commitment on the part of the government to operationalise the Komenda Sugar Factory.

The group said all attempts to engage relevant stakeholders in the Central Region to revamp the sugar factory have proven futile.

The group planned on embarking on a demonstration to press home their demand, but later rescinded following assurances from the government.

Convener of the #FixKomendaSugarFactory, Samuel Awudzah, said he had lost faith in the government in this matter.

“We think it is bad faith for the Regional Minister to pull out at the last minute. The same thing happened when the MCE for KEA also called for the same open forum and then pulled out at the last minute.”

“We are not ready to engage any government official again because we gave them two chances and they have blown that. The only thing we are interested in is how to get jobs,” he said to Citi News.

The $60million factory was inaugurated on May 31, 2016.

The factory was constructed through an Indian Exim Bank loan and had the capacity to crush 1,250 tonnes of sugar per day.

It was also estimated that the factory could employ 7,300 people along the value chain boosting employment prospects in Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem municipality.

But the factory has developed a reputation as a white elephant after not being fully operational for the past five years.

In June 2020, the government said the ban on foreign travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic affected the processes of reviving the Komenda Sugar Factory.

In June 2019, Cabinet approved Park Agrotech as the strategic investor to revive the factory after a technical audit by Price Waterhouse Coopers.

Park Agrotech was named as the strategic investor in the project with a financial commitment of US$28 million.