The plight of Eku juice workers, disappointments of residents over decision to scrap 1D1F project

“We had high expectations that the president will resource the factories and support it to enable them employ a lot of unemployed youth,” one of the citizens, speaking with GhanaWeb, said. The residents further expressed their disappointments in the 2025 Budget presented on Tuesday, March 11, in Parliament.

The Minister of Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, scrapped the 1D1F programme as part of the economic recovery agenda and expenditure measures to support the fiscal consolidation agenda. “We will cut wasteful expenditures on inefficient and duplicative programmes to reduce expenditure under the fiscal consolidation programmes,” he said.

Maame Adwoa Mensah, a 65-year-old worker and resident, in a sober state, sad she already fears left out because the company might need the young more than people of her age bracket since they do not get support from the government to resource the business for growth. ‘’I will definitely be sacked because the company would want to employ the younger ones to work for longer periods to minimise costs and cut down the expenditure for their sustainability,” she lamented.

The Ekumfi factory has recently faced some financial difficulties which has also affected its overall production. According to Kankam Biney, Chief Agronomist of the factory, the company had the capacity to produce more than 9,000 daily but due the low workforce, it only produces 1,500 now. He explained that this is also what accounted for the shortage of the juice in the market, also too due to the lack of raw materials which the company needs.

He, however, added that the 24-Hour Economy is timely since the factory had plans of implementing the initiative to increase raw material supplies for production. He appealed to the President John Dramani Mahama to consider the 1D1F projects and support them financially to boost their production and increase their capacity. The Ekumfi factory had a low workforce of 700, including out-growers, in-growers and share growers due to financial constraints. It had pursued loans from banks for about 3 years but to no avail, wth the authorities at the company appealing for support.

Field Manager at the factory, Rockson Atanga, told GhanaWeb that the factory had a vast land for providing raw materials to feed the factory but was left untouched due to finances. He appealed for support from the government to help expand the factory’s output and enhance development in the country.

Former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo launched the One District One Factory initiative on August 25, 2017, at Ekumfi in the Central region. He then cut sod for the commencement of the Ekumfi Fruits and Juices Limited. 1D1F sought to boost Ghana’s industrialisation drive through the establishment of factories across the country.

It would be recalled that the former Minister of Trade and Industry, Kobina Tahir Hammond, said the country will record about 250 factories in 2024 under 1D1F. According to the former government, 160,000 direct and indirect jobs were created through this initiative.