Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has outlined what he describes as the facts surrounding the establishment of Northshore Apparel GH, particularly the extent of government’s involvement and claims that the project was undertaken under the One District, One Factory (1D1F) initiative.
In a Facebook post, Mr Awuni said information obtained from the project’s promoters indicated that the concept was first presented to the then New Patriotic Party (NPP) government through the 1D1F Secretariat in 2022 for support through the Ministry of Trade.
According to him, although the concept was acknowledged, Northshore Apparel did not receive funding under the 1D1F programme.
He explained that while the 1D1F initiative had concessionary funding arrangements with commercial banks for participating projects, Northshore Apparel did not benefit from such arrangements.
Mr Awuni said the project, which was officially groundbroken in 2024, was financed through multiple sources, including grant support from Investing for Employment, a KfW facility through the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation, a commercial loan from ADB PLC and equity contributions from the promoters.
He stressed that the ADB facility was not provided through the 1D1F programme or any other government concessionary financing scheme.
“It was a purely commercial transaction secured by the promoters, using properties as collateral,” he said, comparing the arrangement to taking a commercial loan to operate a fuel business.
Mr Awuni further claimed that although the government at the time was invited to the ground-breaking ceremony, its officials largely distanced themselves from the project.
He said the only government representative who attended was the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Savelugu, while the Northern Regional Minister, who had been delegated by the Jubilee House through a letter to attend, did not show up.
According to him, a major change occurred in 2025 when the project was presented to Ghana Exim Bank (GEXIM) for consideration.
He said GEXIM, under the leadership of then Managing Director Sylvester Mensah, evaluated the project, settled the ADB PLC facility and provided additional financing at concessionary rates to support the factory’s development.
Mr Awuni described this as the first instance in which deliberate state support was made available to Northshore Apparel.
He also disclosed that the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), through its Youth in Garment programme, supported the training of 1,000 beneficiaries, while the National Youth Authority (NYA) supported another 1,000 beneficiaries.
Mr Awuni said based on the information available to him, he had yet to see evidence establishing that Northshore Apparel was funded as a 1D1F project.
“These are the facts known to me, and I have yet to see any evidence to the contrary that this project was under the 1D1F project,” he wrote.
He, however, stressed that the more important consideration should be the factory’s potential to create employment for thousands of Ghanaians.
According to him, successive governments should be expected to support businesses that create jobs and contribute to the economy, regardless of which administration was in power when the businesses were established.
“The most important consideration here is that the factory provides jobs for thousands, and future administrations will support it in the same way they support other local and international businesses,” he said.
Mr Awuni maintained that while government support for the factory should be welcomed, it was equally important for the public to have an accurate understanding of the project’s origins, financing and relationship with the 1D1F programme.
