Aboso Glass Factory demolished

The Aboso Glass Factory has been reduced to rubble, its value lost forever, despite passionate protests from Aboso residents in the Prestea Huni Valley Municipality of the Western Region.

The community had fiercely opposed GIHOC Distilleries’ plans to sell the factory to Linkin Birds Company for scrap, but their efforts ultimately fell on deaf ears.

In 2017, the then NPP government announced plans to restore the factory with investor support.

Furthermore, in 2019, GIHOC Distilleries Company Limited took over the factory, aiming to rehabilitate and restart production, reduce reliance on imported glass and bottles and supply local production to GIHOC’s liquor brands (Castle Bridge, Kaiser, and Schnapps).

In a surprising move, Managing Director of GIHOC Distilleries Company Limited, Maxwell Kofi Jumah, signed a letter on September 27 2024, granting Linkin Birds Company approval to access the glass factory for scrap collection.

In reaction to these concerns through a phone interview on November 8, the Managing Director of GIHOC Distilleries Company Limited, Maxwell Kofi Jumah, clarified that the current developments are in response to requests from new investors.

“We’ve been instructed by the contractor to clean the premises, and we’ve already held a community engagement meeting attended by local leaders, including the Chief, Assembly Member, Divisional Police Commander, and Municipal Chief executive”.

“However, some individuals are trying to politicize the issue, claiming that we haven’t consulted the Member of Parliament. I’m unsure why the MP’s involvement is necessary in this matter, especially since the contractor is a foreign company”.

“The contractor has given strict instructions that nothing should be removed from the site until the consulting architect has inspected everything to ensure that vital tools and machinery are not taken out. This is a straightforward process, and I’m eager to move forward without unnecessary delays”. Mr Jumah noted.

Despite strong objections from community members, Linkin Birds Company successfully dismantled and removed all assets from the facility, including brand-new, unused machinery and even the roofing sheets.

The community had expressed dissatisfaction with the sale of the equipment, but their concerns were ultimately disregarded.

Residents of the community woke up to a shocking sight: the entire facility had been demolished, leaving only the administration block and canteen block standing. Community members intervened to stop the excavator operator from demolishing these remaining structures.

According to the residents, the subcontractors revealed that Maxwell Kofi Jumah, Managing Director of GIHOC Distilleries Company Limited, had ordered the demolition.

Community members expressed outrage and disappointment, stating that the demolition was not part of the initial agreement between them and the consultant during community engagement sessions.

The consultant had allegedly promised that the company would take over the facility and build a new one, not demolish the existing structure.

Read also:

Chief and residents of Aboso kick against sale of defunct glass factory

 

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