Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo is wondering why oil rich country Nigeria is not importing salt from Ghana for its petrochemical industry but imports salt from far away Brazil.
The Head of state of the West African nation believes it is about time Nigeria turned to Ghana for the supply of salt for the country’s petrochemical industry.
Ghana’s salt industry has a potential production capacity of 2.2 million tonnes, but can only manage a maximum of 250,000 tonnes, representing 10 per cent of what nature offers on the coast.
Ada, one of the salt mining towns in Ghana, area alone can boast of over half the capacity of the national production.
The potential salt production capacity in the Ada area, that is Songor Salt Project and Solar Salt, is about 1.4 million tons out of which only 100,000 metric tons is being produced.
The area is losing about 135 million annually due to low levels of production. It is for this reason that four land owners of Ada have come together to seek the help of the government in developing the industry.
“It brings a lot of benefit to the country in terms of the contribution it makes to the petrochemical industry.
“As you all know, salt is a special ingredient in the petrochemical products that we are hoping now to develop over our oil fields, the source of foreign exchange earnings.
“We also know what the huge market there is in our neighbouring Nigeria. They are having to buy salt all the way from Brazil when we are just next door,” President Akufo-Addo said when a delegation of chiefs from the Ada Traditional Council paid a courtesy call on him at the Jubilee House, the seat of government.
President Akufo-Addo assured his guests of the government’s determination to develop the salt industry in the area.
He said the industry has the potential of developing the petro-chemical industry and serves as a foreign exchange earner for the country.
The visit to the seat of government was to, among other things, inform the President of the decision made by the chiefs in Ada to do away with factions in the salt industry.
President Akufo-Addo noted that generation after generation has given talk about the potential of the salt industry for the country, especially the salt industry based in Ada but very little had been done about the growth of the industry.
“I think the time has come for all of us to put our heads together and find a way forward. It will bring a lot of benefits to the country in terms of the contribution it will make to the petrochemical industry. As you all know, salt is a crucial ingredient in all the petrochemical products that we are hoping now to develop out of our oil fields,” President Akufo-Addo stated.
President Akufo-Addo was delighted about the chiefs’ decision to seek the government’s intervention in developing the industry.
He said now that there has been consensus, the government would vigorously develop the salt industry in Ada.
The Mankralo of the Ada Traditional Area and Spokesperson of the chiefs, Nene Obikyere Agudey appealed to President Akufo-Addo to intervene in developing the Industry.
He noted that the four land owners of Ada Traditional Area have come together and “we say we are ready.
“All the impediments…all the problems that we had that militated against this take off, we, the people of Ada, will forever remember you that you are the single person, who through your tenure, have been able to bring salt production to its maximum,” the Ada Paramount Chief added.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
