(Ecofin Agency) - The Komenda Sugar Factory (KSF) is back in business after its renovation. According to Ghana’s President, John Dramani Mahama which was at the launching ceremony, the factory which is located in the Central region will generate 7,000 jobs for locals.

Also present at the ceremony, Edward Omane Boamah, minister of communication, said the infrastructure would receive 60% of its input from local producers and remaining 40% will come from its own plantations. For President Mahama, the renovation of the factory is proof of his government‘s desire to make the sugar sub-sector a pillar to support agricultural development in the country.

As Ghana currently imports about 375,000 tons of sugar yearly, the government is about to initiate a national sugar policy to achieve self-sufficiency and establish an environment which will favor the emergence of a competitive industry. New refineries will thus be built in the Greater Accra, Volta and Northern regions.

Built under Kwame N’krumah, Ghana’s first president, KSF started operating in the 60s. However, due to challenges related to its input, it stopped all activities somewhere in the 80s.

Aaron Akinocho