The government of Hungary has expressed interest in exploring investment opportunities in the ‘one district one factory program.

Hungarian Ambassador to Ghana, Andras Szabo disclosed to JoyBusiness that his administration is in talks with the Trade Ministry over plans to establish six factories that will solely centre on agro-processing. 

He dropped this hint at the Accra regional annual general meeting and 5th visiting embassies, entrepreneurs and networking event by the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI). 

“Within the program, we would like to carry out smaller size agro-processing projects mainly food and meat processing. It’s more of a private partner. Some have started. I’m talking about 6 projects and we are signing the agreements soon,” he disclosed.

Meanwhile, deputy trade minister, Carlos Ahenkorah, assured captains of industry at the event that the flagship one district one factory is on take-off stage. According to him, the government is confident of seeing the program go through.

“Many companies have set up already. We have had about 480 bankable projects which we recommended for funding. This is not a government-sponsored project. It is private-sector led but the government is available to provide everything that private sector needs,” Carlos Ahenkorah stated.

The Accra regional annual general meeting and 5th visiting embassies, entrepreneurs and networking event by the Association of Ghana Industries saw captains of industries express concern over the high cost of doing business and also best ways of easing the access to capital for SMEs. 

Earlier, the National Coordinator of the ‘One District, One Factory’ secretariat, Gifty Ohene-Konadu said government’s One District, One Factory (1D1F) policy is real.

According to her, critics, especially, members of the opposition National Democratic Congress have decided to doubt the feasibility of the policy.

The Minority in Parliament appears to have run out of patience with the government over the yet-to-be-fulfilled 1D1F campaign promise.

In more than a year after winning power, the minority says there is not a single factory to point to, despite the assuring promises by the government to build at least 50 factories in its first year.
 
But Mrs Ohene-Konadu said the implementation has commenced on 15 projects in the Eastern, Central, Brong Ahafo and Greater Accra Regions, though reports from Adom News correspondents across the regions prove otherwise.
 
She indicated that the secretariat had forwarded 69 business plans and proposals to some participating financial institutions to study; 28 of such proposals have been submitted to GCB Bank and the remaining 41 to Ghana EXIM Bank.