It was one of many guarantees of his “financial revolution”: President Nana Akufo-Addo, in energy for 4 years, wished to industrialize the Ghanaian economic system. Between 2016 and 2019, the trade famous a development of greater than 10%. However a lot stays to be finished. Report from Casa de Ropa, one in every of Ghana’s few candy potato farms.
It’s a small farm within the coronary heart of the Gomoa district, one of many poorest in Ghana. Right here all the things is finished on website, from sowing to plate. Rice, greens and chickens might be consumed by the farmers. Candy potatoes are supposed on the market. Within the massive kitchens, the workforce chief explains its many makes use of. “With candy potatoes, we make pizza dough, bread, croissants, donuts, truffles and pies …”
These pastries might be offered or served at one in every of Casa de Ropa’s two eating places, one in Cape Coast, the opposite in Accra. The farm employs 90% of ladies, most of whom stay within the small village subsequent to the farm. Since its creation in 2015, Casa de Ropa has created 154 jobs, in a area the place presents are scarce.
Maximize job creation
Most feminine farmers survived from the unlawful sale of coal. Such was the case with Diana, now employed. “I’ve labored right here for 5 years. Earlier than I had an insecure life, I couldn’t put cash apart. Now I’ve a wage each month, I can lastly deal with my kids and ship them to high school. “
The harvest is just partially mechanized, explains the CEO of Casa de Ropa, Ebenezer Obeng-Baffoe, to advertise job creation as a lot as potential. “The vegetation are handmade, it offers loads of work for the ladies right here. Then we use a machine that turns the earth, then the ladies come to select it up. You want to harvest numerous candy potatoes a day. In two or three hours we may have the quantity we’d like for the day. After which the potatoes are peeled by hand. We selected to not purchase a machine for it to create extra jobs. That was the objective of the entire challenge. The mechanics are for effectivity, the guide is for the job. “
The agricultural meals sector in Ghana
Farms are an necessary sector for Ghana. The nation imports $ 2.5 billion price of agricultural merchandise annually, particularly rice, wheat and poultry, and exports a big majority of its unprocessed merchandise, subsequently with out added worth: cassava, yams and plantans.
It’s to treatment this that President Nana Akufo-Addo launched the One District One Manufacturing unit initiative in 2017, supposed to offer every district with its personal manufacturing facility to provoke the industrialization of the Ghanaian economic system. A challenge of which Casa de Ropa has develop into one of many spearheads. “That is proof that we are able to do it. It is only a begin. Different farms are beginning to comply with the identical instance. Our objective is to cut back imports to create a sustainable economic system. In Ghana, we have no idea the right way to make airplanes or automobiles, so now we have to purchase some. However however, we all know the right way to produce our personal meals! “
However the success of Casa de Ropa is only one remoted instance. Of the 232 factories promised by the Nana Akufo-Addo authorities, solely 76 have already been constructed and are in operation by the tip of this primary time period. Ghanaians will go to the polls on Monday to sanction, or not, the success of this “financial revolution”.
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