Deputy Minister-designate for Trade and Industry, Herbert Krapa says the vision President Akufo-Addo has for industrialisation is on course and yielding very positive results.

Speaking during his vetting by the Appointments Committee, he stated that all stakeholders must diligently deliver on their roles, duties, and responsibilities to ensure the full objective of the government’s industrialisation vision is manifested.

Mr Krapa said that "a critical assessment shows that the 10-Point Industrial Transformational Agenda of the Nana Addo-led government, which is being spearheaded by Alan Kyerematen is coming together and creating opportunities for job creation and value addition."

The Agenda includes National Industrial Revitalisation Programme, One District One Factory (1D1F), Strategic Anchor Industries, Industrial Parks and Special Economic Zones and Development of Small and Medium-scale Enterprises (SMEs).

Others include Export Development Programme, Enhancing Domestic Retail Infrastructure, Business Regulatory Reforms, Industrial Sub-contracting Exchange and improving public-private sector dialogue.

He elaborated that the One District One Factory programme for instance, had so far birthed 232 factories, out of which 76 were fully running, 107 at different stages of construction and about 49 approved to commence.

The 76 which are fully running, Mr Krapa said, have also employed 140,000 people directly and indirectly.

According to the Deputy Minister-designate, under the National Industrial Revitalisation Programme, substantial support has been given to viable but economically distressed companies to help them continue production.

Small and Medium Enterprises  (SMEs) have also received support to help them increase production, employ more staff and improve on the quality of their products and services, he added.

Mr Krapa said that the NBSSI has in that regard been transformed into the Ghana Enterprise Agency so
that SMEs that contribute about 70% to Ghana’s GDP will be given more support and attention to grow, generate more revenue, and employ more people.

Touching on Strategic Anchor Industries, the Deputy Minister-designate explained that it is a pillar of the industrial growth and transformation agenda intended to diversify the export base of the economy beyond the traditional industries.

It is for this reason, according to Mr Krapa, that the government has an agenda to create industrial parks in each of the sixteen (16) regions in the country to boost industrialisation.

He said that closely connected to this plan is the creation of the Special Economic Zones for non traditional industries like Agro processing, Pharmaceutical, Integrated Aluminium, Iron and Steel Industry as well as Auto mobile and Vehicle Assembly.

Others are Textiles, Garments and Apparel sector, Industrial Salt, Petrochemicals, Manufacturing of Machines and Machinery Components as well as Industrial Starch and Oil Palm Industry, he added.

Mr. Krapa believes that these inroads have contributed to the gains that are being made in terms of the industrialisation vision of the President, the Trade Minister and the government.

He added that "industrialisation may not happen overnight but the building blocks are being put in place to ensure the vision sees the light of day.”