Member of Parliament for New Juaben South, Michael Okyere Baafi
Member of Parliament for New Juaben South, Hon. Michael Okyere Baafi, has admitted that while the One District, One Factory (1D1F) initiative was a major step towards economic transformation, it has yet to achieve its full objectives.
Speaking on GHOne TV, as monitored by MyNewsGh, he acknowledged that the government has made great strides in reducing import dependence and boosting local production, but certain challenges have hindered complete success.
“No government in Ghana’s history has ever introduced such an ambitious policy to create factories and businesses as we did. Our goal was to reduce importation and focus on developing our industries locally,” he explained.
However, he noted that the financial muscle needed to set up and sustain these businesses was a challenge.
“The government alone does not have the capacity to establish and run businesses. That is why 1D1F was structured as a private-sector-led initiative. Businesspeople were encouraged to invest, but we faced issues that made full implementation difficult,” he said.
On food production, he pointed out that despite efforts to curb smuggling and ensure food security, some products, like cashew and cereals, continued to leave the country illegally.
“We introduced policies to ban the export of some products so they could be sold locally, but people still smuggled them out. Even with border security reinforcement, we couldn’t fully control the situation,” he admitted.
Despite these setbacks, he remains optimistic that the next phase of implementation will yield better results.
“We have laid a strong foundation. This government will continue the work to achieve our full objectives,” he concluded.
