Mr Samuel Kofi Dzamesi, the Chief Executive Officer of the Bui Power Authority (BPA), the Managers of the Bui Generating Station (BGS), has inaugurated a cashew factory in the dam’s enclave under the government’s One-District-One-Factory (1D1F) initiative.
The construction of the facility, which sought to add value to raw cashew products for export, is a collaborative effort between the BPA and Cashew-U Company Limited of China.
According to Mr Dzamesi, the collaboration entailed the development of a 500-acre cashew plantation and the establishment of a processing plant on a 20-acre land, with the aim of producing 12,000 metric tons of cashew nuts annually.
Additionally, plans are underway to upgrade the facility for cashew nut oil processing, he stated at the short ceremony held at Bui in the Banda District of the Bono Region.
Mr Dzamesi explained that the facility signified the Authority’s pursuit of industrialization and economic growth within the Bui enclave.
The location of the factory, nestled with
in the 184,000 hectares of land secured for the Bui Project, showed the Authority’s commitment to maximizing local resources for economic development.
He observed the ‘Bui enclave has long been known for its significant role in cashew farming with nearly every household actively involved in this agricultural activity.’
Mr Dzamesi said the entire project was expected to generate job opportunities for approximately 55 locals initially, while projecting employment opportunities for about 250 locals, upon reaching full operational capacity.
This initiative is poised to enhance livelihoods and foster socio-economic empowerment in the region.
Through the utilization of the current network of local farmers, the Authority’s goal is to create a sustainable supply chain for the factory, starting with locally sourced raw materials and eventually transitioning to cultivation on the designated acres of land for cashew plantations.
Mr Dzamesi said the recent completion of the factory was in perfect alignment with BPA’
s Bui City Agenda to stimulate economic growth within the communities of the Bui enclave to drive industrialization and harness the potential of the Bui enclave for economic growth.
While the current focus of the factory lies in the processing of cashew nuts for both export and domestic consumption, our plans include the development and production of cashew oil for both local and international markets, he said.
The collaboration between BPA and the Cash-U Company Limited represented a transformative step towards value addition in the agricultural sector, fostering economic growth, job creation, and sustainable development within the Bui enclave and beyond.
Mr Dzamesi expressed gratitude to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for his visionary leadership through the 1D1F initiative, which aims to industrialize the country and commended his predecessor, Mr. Fred Oware, under whose leadership and efforts led to the acquisition of land for the construction of the factory.
He urged the investors to expand th
e factory’s capacity to create more employment opportunities and also take the opportunity to invite more investors to invest in the Bui City Agenda.
Mr. Lionel Wu, the Managing Director, Cash-U Company Limited, said the ‘factory is completed and has passed all trial tests, prior to the start of production at the beginning of this year.’
‘Today is significant to all of us because we bring to the knowledge of the public the good works that the Bui Power Authority and Cash-U Company Limited are doing in this area,’ he said.
Mr Wu added about 55 locals had already been engaged, saying on completion of the plantation development, a further 250 would be engaged in different roles, and expressed appreciation to the BPA, the local communities for their cordial relationship.
‘We will ensure we deliver our mandate as entrusted to us by the Authority and proudly be a part of the success story of this industrialization agenda,’ he stated.
Source: Ghana News Agency