After 14 years of shutdown, coastal grooves Limited, a wholly-owned Ghanaian organic orange juice processing factory in the central region of Ghana has been recommissioned by the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur International Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
The recommissioning was done on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through its “Invest for Jobs” programme.
“Invest for Jobs” is the brand of the special initiative of training and job creation, implemented among others by GIZ.
The ceremony was marked by the official handover of a steam boiler valued at 73,000 Euros, and a retooled factory of over 94,000 Euros to the management of the company.
The event also offered the management of Coastal Groves Limited and GIZ Ghana the platform to further engage on the outlook of the factory and organic agriculture in Ghana.
In a remark, the Head of Sustainable Economic Development at GIZ Ghana, Mr. Gerald Guskowski pointed out that the importance of such projects has a high impact on employment, market opportunities, and environmental sustainability and improves the business ecosystem.
He noted that the agricultural sector accounts for 1/5th of the country’s gross domestic products and employs nearly half of its labor force to spite its critical role in the sector of agro-processing.
He, therefore, intimated that “this intervention will help boost the production capacity of the factory from the 25% capacity from its initial status to about 70% and then to 90% plus during full implementation within the first five months.”
On his part, the Managing Director of Coastal Groves Limited, Mr. Daniel Danquah expressed his gratitude to the German Federal Government and GIZ.
He noted that the shutdown of the factory did not affect him only but also the employees and farmers who provided the factory with raw materials.
“For less than 200,000 euros the GIZ has offered coastal grooves citrus plants and 65 communities in the Central region a chance to earn a sustainable income and the opportunity for citrus and cassava farmers to be part of this factory.” He said.
Through the intervention of “invest for Jobs”, Sagevest, an investment holding company in Ghana has partnered with Coastal Groves to invest additional funds of over 110,000 Euros to make the dream a reality.
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Source: Anthony Sasu Ayisadu/ATLFMNEWS
