Residents of Kyekyewere and surrounding communities in the Assin South District of the Central Region are calling on the government to operationalise the abandoned One District One Factory (1D1F) starch processing facility, saying the project has become a symbol of broken promises and lost opportunities.
The factory, funded through support from the African Development Bank (AfDB), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the Government of Ghana, was established to process cassava into starch and other products for local consumption and export.
The project was also expected to create jobs for hundreds of young people and provide a ready market for cassava farmers in the area.
However, years after construction began under former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s flagship 1D1F initiative, the facility remains idle and overgrown with weeds.
A visit by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) to the site revealed rusting equipment, cracked concrete surfaces, and thick vegetation taking over the premises, while the access road to the factory has also deteriorated badly.
Residents say the abandonment of the facility has worsened unemployment among the youth in communities including Assin Kyekyewere, Nsuam, Darmang and Ngyresi.
“We were told this factory would bring jobs and development to the area, but now it has been abandoned,” a resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told GNA.
Daniel Kwasi Atta, a 28-year-old unemployed technical university graduate, said many young people had hoped to secure employment and training opportunities at the factory.
“We believed the factory would create opportunities for us after school, but everything has come to a standstill,” he lamented.
Comfort Gyamfi, a 27-year-old agriculturist, also expressed disappointment over the situation.
“I studied agriculture and thought the factory would help people like me build a career, but now I am struggling to survive through small trading,” she said.
Farmers in the area say they have also suffered losses after increasing cassava production in anticipation of a ready market from the factory.
Samuel Jackson, a local farmer, said many out-growers have been forced to sell their produce at very low prices or allow it to go to waste.
“We invested heavily because we were assured the factory would buy our cassava, but now farmers are losing hope,” he stated.
Former Assin South District Chief Executive, Felicia Amissah Ntrakwah, told GNA the factory had been completed and was awaiting operational commencement before she left office in 2024.
She, however, cited concerns regarding the facility’s proximity to the nearby Agenda 111 hospital.
Meanwhile, some officials at the Assin South District Assembly reportedly indicated they had little knowledge about the project because the Assembly was not directly involved in its construction.
Residents are now appealing to the government to urgently revive and operationalise the factory to fulfil its intended purpose of creating jobs and boosting economic activity in the area.
Source: GNA
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