The government has inaugurated a five-member Interim Management Committee (IMC) to spearhead efforts to revive the Komenda Sugar Factory, a key but long-dormant industrial project in Ghana’s Central Region.

The inauguration ceremony was held on Monday, August 4, 2025, at the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry in Accra.

Speaking at the event, Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, described the Komenda Sugar Factory as a “prized national asset” which was commissioned under the administration of President John Dramani Mahama but later left to deteriorate due to operational and supply chain setbacks.

The Minister traced the factory’s origins to 2013, when the Government of Ghana entered into an agreement with Seftech India Pvt to construct a sulphurless sugar plant on a turnkey basis.

The facility was designed to produce 125 metric tons of sugar daily, with prospects to expand into ethanol production and power generation.

The initial investment cost of $36.25 million was funded by a combination of a loan from the India EXIM Bank and a grant from the Export Development and Agricultural Investment Fund (EDAIF), now Ghana EXIM Bank.

Despite subsequent efforts, including the engagement of Park Agrotech as a strategic investor in 2020 and West Africa Agro-Tech Company Limited (WAATCO) under the One District, One Factory (1D1F) initiative, the factory has failed to attain sustainable operations.

“In spite of these interventions, several attempts to operationalise the factory have not been successful,” Madam Ofosu-Adjare stated.

She added that President Mahama’s administration, committed to reversing this trend, had commissioned the IMC to examine and address the root causes undermining the factory’s success.

The Committee is tasked with six core responsibilities: to conduct a technical assessment of the plant’s assets, review its financial and operational viability, evaluate the sugarcane supply chain, identify a credible strategic partner, assess the Ministry’s roadmap, and recommend a transition plan toward full operations.

Madam Ofosu-Adjare noted that the revival of the Komenda Sugar Factory has the potential to significantly reduce Ghana’s sugar import bill while creating sustainable jobs in the catchment area. She assured the committee of government’s full support in the execution of its mandate.

Responding on behalf of the committee, Chairman Kwame Owusu Sekyere (Esq.) expressed gratitude to President Mahama and the Minister for the opportunity to serve. “We are honoured by the confidence reposed in us. We pledge to diligently work on the terms of reference and deliver within the timelines assigned to us,” he said.

The members of the committee include Ing. Douglas Mensah, Mr. John Doku, Lt. Col. (Rtd.) George Afful, and Mr. Ransford Vanni Amoah. The committee is expected to submit its preliminary findings and recommendations to the Ministry within eight weeks.