Weeds have overtaken a government-funded cassava processing facility at Kyekyewere in the Assin South District of the Central Region, raising fresh concerns about stalled industrial projects under Ghana’s One District One Factory (1D1F) programme.

The project forms part of the ENABLE Youth initiative under the Rural Enterprises Programme (REP), funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB), IFAD, and the Government of Ghana. Sources familiar with the project indicate that the Assin South facility is one of 19 out of 63 ENABLE Youth factories that did not receive funding for processing equipment.

No machines, no jobs

When the Ghana News Agency (GNA) visited the facility, it remained an empty structure without installed processing or office equipment. The area had been completely engulfed by weeds, with sections of the compound becoming inaccessible.

Construction works commenced in 2019, and the building was handed over in early 2022. However, no funding was available for equipment, leaving the completed shell unused despite earlier expectations that it would support agro-processing and create jobs for residents. What remains of the factory is mainly the building and a transformer, estimated to have cost over GHS 1,500,000.00, excluding the cost of land.

Although the structure has been widely described as a starch processing factory, available information indicates that the facility was originally designed for oil palm processing before plans were changed to cassava processing in consultation with the Assin South District Assembly in 2023.

Hospital-factory proximity row

Even more worrying is the siting of an Agenda 111 hospital in very close proximity to the factory, given the environmental issues associated with cassava processing. Experts say there are major environmental, health, and social risks involved, including smoke, strong odours, and effluent, all of which adjacent healthcare facilities may find challenging.

Former Assin South District Chief Executive, Mrs Felicia Amissah Ntrakwah, was quoted by the GNA as raising concerns about the proximity of the proposed processing facility to the Agenda 111 hospital and the possible implications for its operations. However, sources familiar with developments in the district note that the decision to locate the hospital near the factory site was taken in 2023 — a year after the factory building had been completed and handed over to the Rural Enterprises Programme and the District Assembly.

Residents count losses

According to the GNA report, residents in surrounding communities including Kyekyewere, Nsuam, Darmang, and Ngyresi expressed disappointment over the stalled project, saying they had anticipated employment opportunities from the factory.

Some youth told the GNA they had expected jobs and skills training in cassava processing and packaging once the facility became operational. Farmers in the area also expressed concerns about the lack of a ready processing outlet for cassava produced within the district.

While some reports suggested the factory was intended to produce a range of products including flour and ethanol, available information indicates that no final decision had been taken on specific cassava-based end products because the project had not secured funding for equipment and operationalisation.

Questions have meanwhile been raised locally about the future of the facility and whether additional funding will be secured to complete and operationalise the project.