2020 Parliamentary Candidate for the Bortianor–Ngleshie Amanfro constituency on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Alexander Akuoku believes the 1 District 1 Factory (1D1F) policy should have been dedicated to reducing primary commodities imported into the country.
He described the 1D1F as only a slogan, and argues if the policy was functional, it would have seen Ghana cutting down drastically on its importation.
According to him, companies under the 1D1F policy should have been producing commodities to reduce importation and protect the cedi against depreciation.
“The 1D1F policy has not been profitable. If it was working we would have felt it and the economy wouldn’t have been as it is now. Companies under the 1D1F policy should’ve targeted reducing our import baskets but we are still importing and that’s a failure,” he told Don Kwabena Prah on Happy98.9FM’s ‘Epa Hoa Daben’ political talk show.
He argues the failure of the 1D1F resulted in government over borrowing, hence the country’s dire economic situation and its return to the IMF.
The One District One Factory (1D1F) initiative is the vision of His Excellency the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to change the nature of Ghana’s economy from one which is dependent on import and export of raw material to one which is focused on manufacturing, value addition and export of processed goods.
These raw materials are largely found in the districts which would have otherwise gone waste.
The initiative as proposed by His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is private sector led. Government creates the necessary conducive environment for the businesses to access funding from financial institutions and other support services from Government agencies to establish factories. Ghanaian entrepreneurs will thus own the companies, operate them and bear all the risks and rewards of the projects.
By: Joel Sanco
