By Iddi Yire, GNA
Accra, Aug. 28, GNA – President John Dramani Mahama on Friday inaugurated the Northshore Apparel Ghana Limited at Savelugu in the Northern Region, to boost garment production for the export market.
The Factory, which is Ghana’s first regenerative, zero-waste apparel manufacturing hub, has already created direct employment for over 2,300 people, a testament to the Government’s 24-Hour Economy Vision implementation.
The wholly Ghanaian-owned, globally competitive Factory funded by the Ghana EXIM Bank, German Development Bank (KfW) and the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB), would be exporting its products to other countries.
President Mahama in his remarks, said with the commissioning of the factory, the government had planted the first seed to take the north back to its past days of industrial glory.
He said, “Northshore has made nonsense of all the arguments about factors of production. I remember in secondary school I did economics, and we have what they call the factors of production,” he said.
He explained these factors of production as sources of raw material, market, proximity to ports, power or water among others, saying most industrialists in their scouting for favourable areas in Ghana to open factories often did not consider the north because of the absence of these requirements for industrialisation, declaring that Northshore had defeated that argument.
The President reiterated that Northern Ghana had a conducive atmosphere for establishing industries and on litigation free lands.
He further commended Alhaji Nurudeen Mohammed, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Northshore Apparel GH Ltd, and his partners for their equitable contribution into building the factory.
He said impactful financing of such projects would go a long way to provide jobs and employment opportunities for the nation’s young people.
“This is an example of what our vision – the 24-Hour Economy in each city is meant to do. Northshore is going to run several shifts, and it means that several young people would get jobs to do.” he stated.
He explained that aside Northshore, there were several other factories coming up that were going to run multiple shifts and create businesses for Ghanaians.
President Mahama said the establishment of Northshore Apparel GH Ltd. shows that the 24-Hour Economy could deliver on its mandate.
He said the turning part of the nation’s economy was designed to achieve the creation of jobs and accelerated exports, and that Northshore, satisfies both, because it had already created at least 2,000 jobs already.
Again, the bulk of products from the factory were going to be exported to bring foreign exchange into Ghana, he said.
He expressed his gratitude to the Yoo Naa Abdulai Yakubu Andani, the Paramount Chief of Savelugu for making land available to the Company and for the subsequent industries to be opened at Savelugu.
“This is going to become a major employment and job creation centre for the whole of Northern Ghana. We believe that at full strength, this hub which we have named the Northshore Industrial Hub, will be able to provide employment to at least 30,000 young people, and reduce the north-south migration,” the President said.
President Mahama mentioned during the African Peer Review Mechanism, when Ghana was peer-reviewed, the lack of opportunities in the northern part, was identified as a key factor which was leading to an imbalance of their population.
The President said the population was far sparse in the north because when students finished school and they had no opportunity, they just picked their bags, boarded a vehicle to go to the south, which puts pressure on social services in the south.
President Mahama cited one of the recommendations of the African Peer Review Mechanism, as the need to balance the developments between the north and south.
“And create more opportunities in the north so that people will remain here. And I believe that this is the beginning of what the peer review mechanism was talking about.”
Mr Sylvester Mensah, the CEO of Ghana Exim Bank said the inauguration of the Northshore Apparel GH Ltd would position the country for the global garment market.
GNA
Edited by Christabel Addo