As part of the government’s 24-Hour Economy initiative, a machinery park will be established in Kumasi under the Make24 module.
This initiative aims to boost the country’s local manufacturing capacity, beginning with the production of tools and equipment for agriculture and industry.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Wednesday, July 3, Abdul Nasar Alidu, a member of the 24-Hour Economy Secretariat, explained that Make24 would initially focus on machinery and fabrication.
“So, under Make24, we start off with machinery and fabrication. The idea is to begin producing the things we need for our farms—ploughs, aboboyas, and all of those things,” he said.
Mr. Alidu noted that Ghana already has the capacity to produce a wide range of tools but has failed to leverage that potential.
“If you go to the GRATIS website, there’s a list of about 140 things that we can manufacture locally. Unfortunately, GRATIS is almost dead, and we are not making good use of these technologies.”
To revive this potential, the Secretariat plans to set up a machinery park in Kumasi, particularly tapping into the existing industrial ecosystem in the Suame area.
“If you go to Suame, there’s all sorts of technology already there. So rather than just using it to reassemble imported parts, let’s use it to actually manufacture products,” he emphasized.
Mr. Alidu further stated that building local capacity to produce industrial equipment could help reduce production costs and improve the competitiveness of Ghanaian factories.
“You go to a factory today, and they’ll tell you a big part of their cost—and the reason they’re uncompetitive—is that they have to import every single thing. But there are some items we can make right here,” he noted.
He added that the long-term goal of Make24 is not only to support agriculture and industry but eventually enable Ghana to produce a wide range of consumer products.
“If we get to the stage where we are making things for our farms and factories, we can eventually start manufacturing TVs and other household consumer goods.”
“The idea of Make24 is to develop our manufacturing capacity so that we are making the things that we need. That is what Make24 is about,” he concluded.
Source: MyJoyOnline
