Board Member of the Komenda Sugar Factory, Perry Mensah, has debunked reports suggesting that the sugar-producing facility has not been operational for some days following a visit by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
This comes after a group calling itself the Concerned Citizens of the Komenda Traditional area had alleged that the Komenda Sugar Factory had shut down operations after the president recently toured the Central Region.
But Perry Mensah, a board member of the factory, described the reports as false and indicated that the facility was rather undergoing a series of test runs.
“I don’t know where that report is coming from because the Komenda Sugar Factory has not been shut down,” he told Accra-based Asaase Radio.
“To the best of my knowledge, for the next 45 days to 60 days, we will still be doing the test run, and after the test run, after we have achieved the results we want, the factory will resume operations,” Perry Mensah added.
Meanwhile, during a recent working visit to the factory, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo expressed hope that the Komenda Sugar Factory, barring any unforeseen circumstances, will be commissioned for operations by the end of this year.
The factory is said to have so far undergone two successful test runs ahead of its inauguration later in the year.
Officials at the factory said 12.5 metric tonnes of unrefined brown sugar have been produced from the two successful test runs.
Background
Though the erstwhile John Dramani Mahama administration recommissioned the factory on May 30, 2016, in a bid to get it functioning once again and offer employment for the youth, the move hit a snag as the Akufo-Addo-led government took office shortly in 2017.
The Komenda Sugar Factory was expected to create some 7,300 direct and indirect jobs at full operational capacity. The factory is said to be able to crush 1,250 tonnes of sugar cane daily.
The sugar-producing factory was first established in 1964 by Dr Kwame Nkrumah but became defunct over the years due to technical difficulties and setbacks.
The birth of the factory was based on the premise of producing sugar locally to reduce importation and for commercial purposes.
The Komenda Sugar Factory is set to be commissioned this year