1D1F: Akufo-Addo commissions US$16 million Weddi Tomato Processing Factory

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo commissioned the US$16 million Weddi Africa Tomato Processing Factory, a company operating under the One District, One Factory initiative, at Domfete, in the Berekum West District of the Bono Region, on Tuesday 10 August 2021.

Working through Ghana Exim Bank and ADB Bank Ghana, the government facilitated acquisition of the loan facility to support the establishment and operations of the factory, the base for Weddi Africa Ltd, a wholly Ghanaian-owned company.

Akufo-Addo told guests at the commissioning ceremony that the factory is an example of the critical role the private sector can play in Ghana’s industrial transformation.

The setting up of this manufacturing facility, outside the established industrial enclaves of Accra, Tema and Takoradi, underscores the government’s commitment, he said, to decentralising industrial development and thereby stimulating economic activity in rural Ghana.

President Akufo-Addo explained that Domfete was chosen for the siting of the factory because the town happens to be at the centre of one of the main catchment areas for cultivation of fresh tomatoes in Ghana. The presence of the processing facility will help reduce rural-urban migration, he said.

The factory will process roughly 40,000 metric tonnes of fresh tomatoes per annum. It also has a 500-metric-tonne cold room facility to store fresh tomato fruits.

The company has established a model farm and research centre to conduct seed trials and train farmers in best agricultural practice, as well as a shop selling agricultural inputs at affordable prices to local farmers. This, Weddi Africa says, will boost the factory’s profitability and improve income levels for farmers engaged by the company.

Outgrower farmers

In addition, a 2,400-acre piece of land which will serve as the nucleus farm has been set up by Weddi Africa. To supplement the produce from this, the company is spearheading the establishment of a Tomato Outgrower Farmers’ Association in the Tano North and Berekum West Districts, with 2,000 registered farmers from the Ahafo and Bono Regions.

These 2,000 farmers are on schedule to receive inputs, including seeds and fertiliser, as well as technical services from the appropriate ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs). The government-supported mechanisms have been put in place to provide the further services the factory will need to ensure profitability and sustainability.

So far, the factory has created 158 direct jobs. There are a further 2,100 indirect job opportunities in the offing for the people of Berekum West and surrounding communities.

Take advantage of AfCFTA

President Akufo-Addo assured the people of Domfete and the company owners that the government is committed to supporting private sector operators such as Weddi Africa to position themselves to become globally competitive. This will allow them to take advantage of market integration frameworks such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), whose secretariat has been established in Accra.

Indeed, the Ministry of Trade and Industry, in collaboration with the relevant MDAs, has established an institutional mechanism to provide strategic support and assistance to the local private sector, operating at the district level.

This has taken the form of business resource centres, which will play the role of one-stop enterprise support institutions in 67 districts across Ghana. Thirty-seven of them have already commenced work and a further 30 are under construction. The 1D1F companies will benefit from the assistance to be provided by these resource centres.

The president commended the German Agency for International Co-operation (GIZ), the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and other stakeholders for the support they have given the company.

He also commended the chief executive officer of Weddi Africa Ltd, Yaw Boahene, and his team for establishing such a modern manufacturing facility in Domfete in support of the government’s industrial transformation agenda.

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