The Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, has revealed that some abandoned factories established under the One District, One Factory (1D1F) initiative have been converted into churches after ceasing operations.

According to the Minister, the collapse of some of the factories stemmed largely from poor siting decisions, with facilities established in districts that lacked the raw materials needed to sustain production.

Speaking before Parliament's Assurance Committee, Mr Ibrahim argued that political considerations, rather than economic viability, influenced the location of some of the projects, contributing to their eventual failure.

"We sited factories and companies far away from raw materials because politicians were coming from these faraway areas. How many of them survived?" he questioned.

He further disclosed that some of the abandoned facilities have since been repurposed as places of worship.

The Minister also observed that several state-owned enterprises established over the years have either collapsed, been sold or privatised because of poor planning and sustainability challenges.

He said the government is determined to avoid repeating such mistakes as it rolls out its proposed 24-hour economy markets, stressing that future projects will be located based on sound economic and commercial considerations rather than political expediency.

"Now the power has been given to us to conduct research in the various districts together with the District Chief Executives, so we know where these factories will be economically viable," he said.

Mr Ibrahim explained that comprehensive feasibility studies and local economic assessments would guide the siting of future projects to improve their long-term sustainability, maximise productivity and create lasting employment opportunities.