The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Wednesday, 6th October, 2021 commissioned ‘Shoe Fabriek Ltd.’

The GH¢6.2 million shoe manufacturing company, is operating under Government’s 1-District-1-Factory initiative.

The state-of-the-art factory, is fitted with the requisite infrastructure and equipment to enable it produce 800 pairs of high-quality shoes per day. Shoes produced by Shoe Fabriek Ltd include security boots, school shoes and casual shoes for men, women, and children, .

According to the promoters of the project, the siting of the factory in the Akuapem North District is going to create jobs for the residents, which will help reduce rural-urban migration.

Shoe Fabriek has, so far, created jobs for 144 people in the district, and is a classic example of the import substitution programme being implemented by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, as part of the 1D1F Initiative.

President Akufo-Addo congratulated the promoters of the factory, Michael Asare Bediako, Opoku Benson and Salomey Gyamfi, for supporting the industrial transformation agenda of his administration.

Whilst encouraging Ghanaian institutions, such as schools, to patronize made in Ghana shoes from this factory, the President expressed gratitude to the traditional authorities and the residents of the community for their unflinching support to the company. He also advised the workers to put in their best to ensure sustained growth of the company.

As of September 2021, 278 1D1F projects are at various stages of implementation. Out of this number, 104 are currently in operation, 150 are under construction and 24 are at the mobilization stage. 165 out of the 278 are new projects representing 60%, whilst 113 companies are existing projects being supported, which represent 40%.

In promoting the 1D1F initiative, the Akufo-Addo Government is seeking to address the youth unemployment challenge, by attracting private sector investments into the development activities of these communities.

Adukrom-Nkurakan Road 30% complete

The President also inspected ongoing work on the reconstruction of Nkurakan – Adukrom – Trom Junction Road. This bituminous road has not seen any major intervention for a very long time. As such, the road is narrow and in poor condition.

Contract for the construction of the road was awarded on 23rd December, 2020 to Messrs. General Construction & Development Limited, with work commencing on 19th July, 2023.

It is expected that, when the road is completed, it will bring relief to both motorists and pedestrians. It will reduce vehicle operating cost and reduce travelling time and facilitate the movement of goods and services. It will also serve as alternative link to Koforidua, the regional capital when coming from Mamfe.