President Akufo-Addo Inaugurates Ghanagas Office Complex

By Rex Mainoo Yeboah

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The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Tuesday, inaugurated the Operational Head Office Complex of Ghana National Gas Company, (GHANAGAS).

The state-of-the-art office complex is expected to deliver first-class gas operations and support services for the country's gas sector and accommodates the staff of the company who work to ensure reliable and sustainable gas supply for power generation.

President Akufo-Addo, who commended the Board and Management of Ghana Gas for overseeing the project, also applauded the company for the numerous developmental projects it had undertaken in the Western Region, which include a 10.5km asphalt road from Alla-Bokazo to Anokyi.

The President said major reconstruction activities undertaken on the Nkroful road, and similar road projects had either been completed or at various stages of completion in Axim, Half Assini and Kikam.

GHANAGAS as part of its social responsibility had registered some 1,350 indigenes living in Atuabo and Aboadze under the National Health Insurance Scheme; constructed an 8-Seater Water Closet Toilet facility, and a Mechanised Borehole in Allabokazo; constructed a 4-unit Teachers' Quarters in Anokyi, a 4-unit Teachers Quarters in Asemnda Suazo, and an Ultra-Modern Nursery facility at the area.

President Akufo-Addo urged the company to continue in this vein, and support the communities within which they are operating.

He assured that the Ministry of Agriculture, in collaboration with Ghana National Gas Company, is currently working towards the establishment of a fertilizer plant in Jomoro.

The Plant, President Akufo-Addo said, would use natural gas as feedstock to produce high-quality ammonia, urea and fertilizer for both local and regional markets.

Earlier, President Akufo-Addo cut the sod for the second phase of expansion works of the Twyford-Keda Ghana Ceramics Company Limited, a company operating under the government's "One District, One Factory" initiative.

Addressing the gathering, the President said promoters of the factory had invested some $77 million in the processing plant, since it was after commissioned in January 2018.

This huge capital injection, he said, had resulted in an annual production capacity of 14.4 million square meters of tiles, and created more than 800 jobs in the Shama area.

"The operations of the company have also seen a significant reduction in the import of tiles by as much as 14%. The contribution that this company is making in the industrialization agenda of the country and the transformation of our economy is significant," President Akufo-Addo added.

The President was particularly happy about the company's decision to source their raw materials locally, as "many of those things we can do here in Ghana, we intend to begin the process of doing them here in Ghana. That is the way we can develop our economy and begin to address the living standards of our people."

As Ghana host the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), President Akufo-Addo explained that a lot of opportunities would be created for companies like this (factory) to be able to access the ECOWAS region and the larger African continent with a market of 1.2 billion people.

He continued, "We are not quite there with China, but Ambassador, we are on our way so that companies like this ceramics company will have the opportunity of targeting this larger market community when the Free Trade Area comes into operation next year in July."

The President assured the Company's Chairman of the establishment of institutions in the country that has the responsibility to deal with the effects of unfair competition practices in domestic trade such as dumping.

"I have asked the Chairman to immediately lodge a complaint to the Ghana International Trade Commission who will then be able to make recommendations to government to address this matter. We are determined to protect local industries and domestic manufacturing, and these institutions that have been set in place are essential to doing exactly that," he assured.

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