'It took resilience to build my salt mine, I thought I was stupid' - McDan

Chief Executive Officer for McDan Group of companies, Mr. Daniel McKorley, popularly known as McDan, has shared the inspiring journey of how he brought his long-held dream to life, despite facing numerous challenges.

Located on 41,000 acres of land in Ada, within Greater Accra's Dangme East District, and owned by McDan, Africa’s largest salt mine stands as a testament to determination, with the potential to generate up to $6 billion in revenue.

For over five decades, efforts to develop the land had repeatedly failed until McKorley took the bold step to transform it.

According to reports, the area initially resembled an abandoned football pitch, scarred by years of illegal salt mining and mismanagement.

I'm an interview with Ghanaian YouTuber, Woode Maya, McDan described the immense courage required to embark on the project, often questioning whether his pursuit was misguided.

It hasn't been an easy journey. If you don't have the guts and what it takes, you will stop along the way. 99% of people will say you are wrong. It's either you are making a mistake or you're making history. We haven't reached anywhere yet, but I believe we have come too far to be making mistakes.

McDan's motivation for exploring salt mining

McDan further explained his motivation for venturing into a business typically dominated by government involvement. According to him the status quo needed to be challenged as the country cannot continue to rely solely on foreign investors.

We're living in a country where some of us had to be pacesetters and also dare. We cannot always look at foreigners and the outside world thinking they can do what we cannot. In my policy, I can. I also have some good people around me who understood my vision and decided to support me, he indicated.

When questioned about his financial status, McKorley modestly acknowledged, “I think I am a billionaire.”

Now fully operational for two years, the salt mine employs over 3,000 people, including contractors not directly on the payroll.

The mine currently produces approximately 600,000 metric tons of salt each year, with McKorley aiming to increase this to 1 million metric tons.

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