Ghana: Bui Power Authority Goes In Commercial Sugarcane Plantation To Improve Livelihoods Of Settlers In Bui Enclave

Ghana’s second largest state power generation company, Bui Power Authority, has taken another giant step to improve the economic well-being and livelihoods of residents within the Bui enclave in the Bono and Savannah Regions.

In line with the Authority’s mandate of developing irrigation projects, and more so in championing the government’s ‘One District, One Factory (1D1F)’ industrialization agenda, the Chief Executive Officer of BPA, Samuel Kofi Dzamesi, in 2021, led the Authority to enter into a partnership with Bui Sugar Limited for the establishment of a sugarcane plantation and processing plant within the Bui Hydroelectric Project acquired lands.

The partnership will lead to the cultivation of 6,940 hectares of sugarcane as raw materials for the factory.

So far, the company has planted 130 hectares of sugarcane plantation out of a total of 6,940 hectares of land.

Located in the Fawoman community in the Banda District of the Bono Region, the project has, so far, employed 120 workers from the neighbouring communities.

It is expected that the current workforce would increase to 500 as the project progresses.

The 6,940 hectares of sugarcane plantation, upon completion, would be the largest sugarcane plantation in Ghana.

The processing plant is expected to process about 60,000 tons of sugar annually and will be developed into four phases which would eventually result in a total population capacity of about 100,000 metric tons annually.

During his visit to the plantation site recently with some Management Team and staff of BPA, the CEO of the Authority, Samuel Kofi Dzamesi, was highly impressed with the progress of works, as in just nine months, about 130 hectares of land have been cultivated and more lands are being prepared for cultivation.

He commended the developer for the zeal and commitment shown towards the project and applauded them for engaging about 120 workers (from the neighbouring communities) at this initial stage.

Mr. Dzamesi assured the developer, Bui Sugar Factory, of BPA’s continuous support by creating the enabling environment for the factory and plantation to thrive.

He also took the opportunity to invite other investors and businesses to set their operations within the Bui enclave to develop the area for them to make the needed returns on their investments.

BPA was established by an Act of Parliament, Act 740, with the mandate to construct a dam at the Bui gorge and utilise about 184,371 hectares of land for the dam’s operations, development of irrigation projects and for development of the Bui Township.

Source: https://energynewsafrica.com