Suhum to get new industrial zone

About 2,500 members of the Ghana National Association of Garages (GNAG) in the Suhum Municipality of the Eastern Region, would soon move into a modern and spacious industrial zone locally referred to as ‘magazine’.

The absence of a magazine in the municipality is becoming a worry to garage owners and other artisans.

Mr Ernest Akrofi, Patron of the GNAG, who made this known to journalists at Suhum, after a meeting of heads of garages, said poorly organised artisans and non regulated industrial zone, coupled with high cost of renting workplaces, are some of the factors hampering the capacity of the industry, thereby rendering it uneconomical.

Mr Akrofi also the Committee Chairman of the new industrial zone said the stakeholders are the Municipal Assembly, Business Sector Advocacy Challenge Fund and GIZ- German Programme for Sustainable Economic Development.

“Every operating artisan in the municipality is paying a tax of GH¢50, per year…and a levy of GH¢120 per year to the…assembly,” he said.

Mr David Tetteh, Chairman of the association, noted that the objectives of association which are the promotion of investments, creation of jobs and helping to improve the living standards of the people, are in line with the aims of the private sector.

He said the GNAG seeks to train entrepreneurs to help them grow their businesses and to provide opportunities for others.

Mr Tetteh said the industrial zone is key to the spread of development in the municipality and the growth of the private sector.

Mr Isaac Awuku, Administrator of the association said the growth and survival of the industry requires collective action in creating the enabling environment for the private sector to grow.

He also expressed the need for efforts to help make the private sector competitive, to speed up development of the municipality and make it a more formidable middle-income area.

Source: GNA