Thursday, May 31, 2012
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Industrial village project for Suame artisans takes shape
The
roadmap to establish a technologically-advanced industrial estate for artisans
at Suame Magazine in Kumasi has received the support of the Manhyia Palace.
The
Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei II has rooted for shared equity in project
implementation on the proposed one thousand acre plot of land at Atwima
Nwabiagya, 7 kilometers outside Kumasi.
Suame
Magazine is a typical indigenous industrial cluster that has emerged to be the
largest SME cluster and employment village in Ghana.
The
cluster is estimated to have a working population of over 200,000 artisans and
12,000 enterprises – made up of auto repair shops, spare part shops, scrap
dealers, metal fabricators, manufacturers of car components and engineering
products, and host of related businesses within the metal industry.
Customers
come from across West Africa to patronize their services and products. Like all
indigenous cluster villages, Suame Magazine is unplanned, heavily congested and
saddled with numerous environmental problems including waste management issues,
air and noise pollution and bad water management practices.
Invariably,
the population of Suame Magazine is faced with environmental hazards resulting
from implications of their daily activities causing significant health and safety
problems to the entire populace.
Besides,
the possibility of expanding business within the present location does not
exist.
The
DANISH Development Agency (DANIDA) has adopted the industrial village project under
the Support to Private Sector Development - Phase II (SPSD II), following an
advocacy embarked upon by the Suame Magazine Industrial Development
Organization (SMIDO).
The
SPSD II is considering the possibility of applying part of the unallocated fund
of DKK 60 million to design a programme aiming at transforming the Suame
Magazine into a technological advanced industrial estate.
The
multi-million dollar project will serve as a flagship model for Cluster Industrial
Development in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The
project is scheduled to commence in June 2012 but on condition that Asanteman
releases the proposed 1000 acre land.
SMIDO
presented the project inception paper to the Otumfuo at the Manhyia Palace,
with the expressed hope of an intervention to obtain a lease on the land from
the traditional authority for project takeoff.
“The
Otumfuo says yes, he is going to use his land as equity. So hopefully the
stakeholders within his camp will do the necessary particulars for us to get
the lease and then start the business”, stated SMIDO President, George Asamoah
Amankwah.
In
February this year, the project was presented to Vice-President John Mahama who
assured of government’s support to get the project off the ground.
Project
Consultant, Nyaaba Aweeba-Azongo says the 6 years of advocacy to resettle the
artisans could soon pay off.
According
to him, “DANIDA is going to support the feasibility studies and come out with
the industrial model for implementation and will also garner support from other
donor partners as a multi-donor arrangement to support the implementation of
the industrial village project”.
The
initial project Action Plan presented by SMIDO in October 2011, titled “the
Blueprint for industrialization of Suame Magazine”, provides a three year roadmap
from land acquisition, adoption of funding modalities, design and
implementation of the whole programme.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Popular Posts
-
The Suame Magazine Industrial Development Organization (SMIDO) has formally unveiled a prototype car at a ceremony in Kumasi, in its quest... -
The Asanteh ene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu the second says the construction of the Kumas i Sunshine City or Sun City project is in fulfillment of hi... -
The Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa (OFAB) wants the Ghanaian media to frame the modern biotechnology debate in a manner ... -
The Community Health Nurses’ Training School at Fomena in the Adansi North District of Ashanti recorded a 99.4 percent pass rate in th... -
Tate is hosting a major symposium in Accra, Ghana, from 21-23 February 2013, which will explore the Ghanaian art scene, looking at local ...