Government to inject 250 million cedis to complete GAEC’s metallic spare parts factory – Murtala Muhammed assures.
The Minister of Environment, Science, and Technology, Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, has announced the government’s plans to complete the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission’s (GAEC) metallic spare parts factory, which aims to create jobs and reduce Ghana’s reliance on imported spare parts.
Addressing the staff of GAEC in Accra during a facility visit on Wednesday, 13th February, Mr. Murtala Muhammed revealed that the factory’s completion is estimated to cost around 250 million cedis and promised to make sure that it is included in the 2025 budget.
“If you look at the basic tools that we use for our vehicles and some of our domestic machines, we import them. The purpose of establishing the foundry is that we will be able to produce those basic tools so that our brothers and sisters from Abosokai can easily buy from it.”
Mr. Mutarla Muhammad pledged to ensure the project’s completion and standardize its operations in 4 months., aligning with the government’s goal to promote local industry and reduce foreign imports.
“All the machinery for the factory is all ready, and I assure you that we shall factor that in the next budget.”
He stressed that the government aims to reduce rice and poultry imports to 60 percent and increase local rice production to 40 percent, easing pressure on the cedi and stabilizing it against foreign currencies.
“Within 8 years, Ghana has spent 3 billion dollars on the importation of rice and poultry products. That explains partly why our economy is in huge challenges because we are hugely import-dependent.
“We have done it before. In 2014, we succeeded in reducing the importation of rice into this country to 60%, and we increased the production of rice by 40%, so it means that we have the potential and capacity to do that again.”
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Ghana’s foundry project, initiated by the previous government, is nearing completion at 95 percent. Once finished, the factory will produce cast iron spare parts for automobiles and industrial devices, boosting employment and industrialization.
In addition to the foundry project, the GAEC has been involved in various initiatives, including radiation contamination checks on imported foods.
However, due to a break in port system automation, the FDA has not engaged GAEC in these exercises for some time.Mr. Murtala Muhammad has promised to restore collaboration between the FDA and GAEC.
“I was shocked when they said they were no longer doing it, and I wanted to know whether it is the case that the FDA is now doing that alone or not, and the understanding I got from them was that the FDA is not doing it.
“And because of the so-called single window, I was very instrumental in the single window thing at parliament. I was deputy minister of trade at that time, and I was tasked with the responsibility of working on it, and I had the privilege and opportunity to move the motion in portion in parliament for the passage of the Internal Trade Facilitation Bill and International Trade Commission Bill, which gave birth to the port automation.
“By the time we left office in 2016, we had brought on the system all agencies that were working at the port except one.
“Now single window does not mean that we should compromise certain due diligence and inspections that have to be done, particularly on food and other items that are brought into this country. I will be taking this matter up,” he emphasized.
GAEC has also called for government intervention to protect its facilities from encroachers.