SHEA BUTTER FACTORY FOR KASSENA-NANKANA WEST
August
SHEA BUTTER FACTORY FOR KASSENA-NANKANA WEST August 05, 2010
BY P. A. WEDAM
ISD-BOLGATANGA MUNICIPAL
A shea butter and soap factory constructed at the cost of 360,000 Ghana Cedis has been inaugurated at Nakolo in the Kassena-Nankana West district of the Upper East region with a call on the Ministry of Food And Agriculture to research and come out with shea nut seedlings which have shorter gestation periods.
The Chief Executive Officer of New Vision Consult [NVC], Mr. Clement Ayamga disclosed that in helping government to create jobs for the masses, his outfit collaborated with the National Youth Employment Programme [NYEP] to establish the shea butter and soap factory in the district. He said the availability of raw materials that is shea nuts and other factors informed the decision of citing the factory at Nakolo.
Under the collaboration, the NYEP provided financial support, monitoring and evaluation while a Tamale-based shea nut company by name, SEKAF offered technical advice.
Mr. Ayamga revealed that since the factory started operation in July 2010, a total of 350 women have been employed within the district while as much as 1000 other people including the youth are engaged in other related jobs such as packaging and picking shea nuts and selling them to the factory for processing.
He called on MOFA to endeavour to come with shea nut seedlings that have shorter gestation periods in order to ensure that harvesting of raw material is readily available to feed the factory.
Upper East regional minister, Mr. Mark Owen Woyongo in a speech to formally inaugurate the factory noted that, unemployment is a global challenge facing all countries the world over regardless of whether they are developed or developing. He said it is therefore the intension of government to continue to collaborate with the private sector for the establishment of similar enterprises such as shea butter factories in other parts of the region.
Mr. Woyongo observed that Ghanaians made the right decision by voting for the National Democratic Congress [NDC] during the 2008 elections because according to him, this administration has laid a robust and solid foundation for the country’s economic growth coupled with good governance. He said for the first time “in our economic history, inflation has fallen for eleven months in a row”. This fall in inflation according to Mr. Woyongo, has actually hit a single digit.
He observed that the shea nut is among many other untapped resources that the Upper East region is endowed with and therefore commended the management of the NYEP for identifying the potential of this vital resource which has led to the employment of many rural folk in the Nakolo community.
The regional minister appealed to non-governmental organisations, corporate bodies and citizens from Nakolo to join government in developing the region and its communities through partnerships. He urged the National Youth Employment Programme to add more modules like youth in guinea fowl and livestock rearing and basket weaving in which areas the Upper East region has comparative advantage.
The National Coordinator of the NYEP, Mr. Abuga Pele in a speech revealed that for the one and a half years that the Mill’s administration assumed office, over 50,000 beneficiaries have been employed under the programme with a well-structured exit plan.
Mr. Pele noted that the shea butter factory has good prospects as it does not only offer employment to the people but also equips them with employable skills. He said he is discussing with a foreign company which will provide ready market for the processed shea butter that will come from the Nakolo shea butter plant.
The shea butter factory is composed of an accounts office, training and kneading sections, oil extraction unit and a soap production unit among others.
SHEA BUTTER FACTORY FOR KASSENA-NANKANA WEST August 05, 2010
BY P. A. WEDAM
ISD-BOLGATANGA MUNICIPAL
A shea butter and soap factory constructed at the cost of 360,000 Ghana Cedis has been inaugurated at Nakolo in the Kassena-Nankana West district of the Upper East region with a call on the Ministry of Food And Agriculture to research and come out with shea nut seedlings which have shorter gestation periods.
The Chief Executive Officer of New Vision Consult [NVC], Mr. Clement Ayamga disclosed that in helping government to create jobs for the masses, his outfit collaborated with the National Youth Employment Programme [NYEP] to establish the shea butter and soap factory in the district. He said the availability of raw materials that is shea nuts and other factors informed the decision of citing the factory at Nakolo.
Under the collaboration, the NYEP provided financial support, monitoring and evaluation while a Tamale-based shea nut company by name, SEKAF offered technical advice.
Mr. Ayamga revealed that since the factory started operation in July 2010, a total of 350 women have been employed within the district while as much as 1000 other people including the youth are engaged in other related jobs such as packaging and picking shea nuts and selling them to the factory for processing.
He called on MOFA to endeavour to come with shea nut seedlings that have shorter gestation periods in order to ensure that harvesting of raw material is readily available to feed the factory.
Upper East regional minister, Mr. Mark Owen Woyongo in a speech to formally inaugurate the factory noted that, unemployment is a global challenge facing all countries the world over regardless of whether they are developed or developing. He said it is therefore the intension of government to continue to collaborate with the private sector for the establishment of similar enterprises such as shea butter factories in other parts of the region.
Mr. Woyongo observed that Ghanaians made the right decision by voting for the National Democratic Congress [NDC] during the 2008 elections because according to him, this administration has laid a robust and solid foundation for the country’s economic growth coupled with good governance. He said for the first time “in our economic history, inflation has fallen for eleven months in a row”. This fall in inflation according to Mr. Woyongo, has actually hit a single digit.
He observed that the shea nut is among many other untapped resources that the Upper East region is endowed with and therefore commended the management of the NYEP for identifying the potential of this vital resource which has led to the employment of many rural folk in the Nakolo community.
The regional minister appealed to non-governmental organisations, corporate bodies and citizens from Nakolo to join government in developing the region and its communities through partnerships. He urged the National Youth Employment Programme to add more modules like youth in guinea fowl and livestock rearing and basket weaving in which areas the Upper East region has comparative advantage.
The National Coordinator of the NYEP, Mr. Abuga Pele in a speech revealed that for the one and a half years that the Mill’s administration assumed office, over 50,000 beneficiaries have been employed under the programme with a well-structured exit plan.
Mr. Pele noted that the shea butter factory has good prospects as it does not only offer employment to the people but also equips them with employable skills. He said he is discussing with a foreign company which will provide ready market for the processed shea butter that will come from the Nakolo shea butter plant.
The shea butter factory is composed of an accounts office, training and kneading sections, oil extraction unit and a soap production unit among others.
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