Dear Patriots, distinguished Kukurudu family, I think it is in order to congratulate ourselves on the occasion of our 29th anniversary as the New Patriotic Party.

It’s been 29 years of defending democracy in the face of decorated dictatorship, offering responsible opposition to power upon stolen verdicts and showing the way of good governance and leadership even when opposition turns consciously destructive.

To our deserving credit under the leadership of Prof Adu Boahen, we fought for democracy, we defended same and defeated culture of silence.

Ghanaians still remember our integrity under President J.A Kufour for achieving, inter alia, the establishment of NHIS, F-CUBE, successful implementation of HIPIC, school feeding programme, free maternal care, etc. In spite of the global crisis of Covid-19, we have a lot to our credit under H.E President Akufo-Addo.

The Free SHS Programme, NABCO, One Constituency One Ambulance, Planting for Food and Jobs, One District One Factory are just few of our numerous achievements.

We have been largely successful in serving the people of Ghana, but we have been regrettably unsuccessful in communicating our achievements effectively, particularly, the 1D1F which is arguably President Akufo-Addo’s best legacy spearheaded by Hon Alan Kyerematen.

On the 21st day of July, 2021, the Minister of Trade and Industry, Hon Alan Kyerematen gave a comprehensive update on 1D1F project to Parliament of Ghana. The minister made the following presentation on the floor of parliament.

1. Since the beginning of the Programme to date, there are 278 1D1F projects at various stages of implementation.
2. Out of this number, 104 companies are currently in operation, 150 are under construction and 24 are at the mobilization stage.
3. One Hundred and Sixty Five (165) out of the 278 companies are new projects representing 60% whilst 113 companies are existing projects being supported, representing 40%.
4. The 104 companies that are currently operational have created a total of 150,975 direct and indirect jobs, up from 139,331 in December 2020.
5. It is expected that when the additional 150 1D1F projects currently under construction are completed, the cumulative number of direct and indirect jobs created will reach 282,792.
6. Out of the 278 1D1F companies, 58 are fully owned by youth groups who have been mobilized by Government and supported with seed funding to establish their own state-of-the-art agro processing factories in 58 districts, under what is referred to as the Enable Youth 1D1F Initiative supported by African Development Bank (AfDB) and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Each of these youth groups have between 40 and 48 individuals as Shareholders in each comapny.
7. In addition, 5 medium scale state-of-the-art agro processing Common User Facilities have also been established, owned by groups of farmers in 5 districts with funding from African Development Bank (AfDB).
8. Hon Alan Kyerematen gave the sectoral breakdown of the 1D1F companies are as follows; 40.6% Agro processing companies, 43.9% other Manufacturing companies, 7.9% Meat Processing (Livestock, Poultry and Fish) and 7.6% representing others.
9. Government has successfully mobilized loans for 1D1F companies from the Participating Financial Institutions totaling an amount of GHS2.69 billion. This amount has been leveraged through the disbursement by Government of an amount of GHS 260.9 million to de-risk loans and support interest payment. As of 16th July 2021, 148 companies have benefited from loans facilitated by Government.
10. All 16 regions in Ghana have fair share of the 278 factories under 1D1F. The minister presented the regional breakdown as follows; ASHANTI 54, EASTERN 37, GREATER ACCRA 76, CENTRAL 19, VOLTA 13, NORTHERN 6, UPPER EAST 7, WESTERN 11, BONO 19, BONO EAST 10, UPPER WEST 6, WESTERN NORTH 5, OTI 3, SAVANNA 4, AHAFO 5 and NORTH EAST 3 factories.

The 1D1F innovation, it’s implementation and progress record as spearheaded by Hon Alan Kyerematen put NPP government ahead of its peers and give President Akufo-Addo a lasting and impactful legacy comparable to Ghana’s 1st President Dr Kwame Nkrumah, President Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore and Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammed of Malaysia.

We cannot and we must not keep such unprecedented achievement in the dark. Our silence is too loud and too expensive.

Fellow Patriots let us speak, let us consciously reach every corner of our country with the 1D1F legacy of our President, H.E Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo, for we have both the truth and the strength of record on our side.

I still remember the the vehemence and consistency committed to the marketing of Komenda Sugar Factory by our counterparts in the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

They communicated to the hearing of almost every ear reachable then and even now, that was one factory.

Why shouldn’t we communicate our 104 factories in operations to the hearing of every ear? Why can’t we commit more energy and time to selling our better record of job creation through 1D1F, Planting for Food and Jobs, etc?

In all humility, I call on the National Executives of NPP, the NPP Members of Parliament, the Communication Directorates (national, regional, constituency) of NPP, all Deputy Ministers of Trade and Industry as well as NPP serial callers to extend a little more favour to President Akufo-Addo by consistently and vehemently marketing the world class legacy of our President, the One District One Factory amongst others.

Let us all kindly gird up our loins, because knowing the truth and professing same is not only a favour for the President, but also a service to government, country and God. Thank you.

I still remain,
Barima Sarpong Kumankuma
Dawu L/A JHS
Jamasi- Ashanti.