President John Dramani Mahama has stressed that his government was focused on reviving the Volta Aluminium Company Limited (VALCO) to restore Tema as Ghana’s industrial capital.
He said this during a working visit to Nestlé Ghana Limited, Three Dreamers Manufacturing Company and Kasapreko PLC in Tema, where he expressed delight at the growing industrial activities in the area.
President Mahama cited the expansion of the Tema Port, the resumption of operations at the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) and the plan to revive VALCO as clear indications that Tema is bouncing back as an industrial hub.
“The Tema ports have been expanded. TOR is working again. We are working to bring VALCO back. The industrial enclave is growing and companies like Nestlé operating within the Tema enclave are increasing production,” he noted.
At Nestlé, the President inaugurated an expanded evaporated milk production line, which will raise annual output from about 12,960 tonnes to close to 30,000 tonnes.
He said the investment shows rising investor confidence in Ghana and aligns with his administration’s 24-Hour Economy policy.
He said government’s industrial drive is not only about factories but also about providing the needed infrastructure including good roads, efficient ports, stable power, access to finance and logistics to support manufacturing and exports.
He encouraged firms operating in Ghana to leverage the African Continental Free Trade Area to reach other markets on the continent, adding that Ghana must produce more of what it consumes and export more of what it produces.
Government has also started developing the 120-hectare Tema Integrated Industrial Park near VALCO and the Tema Port to boost manufacturing, aluminium processing and export-led production.
The revival of VALCO forms part of government’s aluminium industrialisation agenda, with the company seeking to scale up its operational capacity and add more value to aluminium production.
