Former President John Dramani Mahama has extended his appreciation to the government of India for investing in the Tema- Akosombo Railway, the Komenda Sugar Factory, the Elmina Fish Processing Factory, among other projects when he was president of Ghana.
Mr Mahama showed the appreciation when the Indian High Commissioner to Ghana, HE Sugandh Rajaram, paid a courtesy on him to formally inform him of India’s 75th Independence Anniversary and discuss issues of mutual interest to both countries.
Other issues discussed during the visit centred on housing made from affordable materials, agro-processing and rural industries, solar energy and electrification, scholarships, urban transportation, ICT, and health.
Mr Mahama congratulated India on its 75th anniversary and wished the High Commissioner a successful tour of duty.
The High Commissioner thanked President Mahama for his reception and assured him of India’s continued commitment to Ghana’s development.
It is recalled that during the 2020 election period, the Komenda Sugar Factor particularly, became a controversial political subject.
This was after the Akufo-Addo administration accused Mr Mahama of establishing the factory with making plans for raw materials.
But Mr Mahama replied his critics who claim he built the Komenda Sugar Factory without providing raw materials to feed it.
He said there was an arrangement in place to provide raw materials for the factory. The 2020 presidential candidate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) stated that he studied economics in School hence, was fully aware that a factory could not be established without making raw materials for it.
He explained that the Indian government had asked for the factory to be built and later apply for funds to support the production of raw materials.
Speaking on Cape FM on Friday October 15, Mr Mahama said “When this government came they said the sugar wasn’t their priority and so they abandoned the 26million dollars the Indian government asked them to apply for. They didn’t apply and so they left it and the factory is just there.
“Do you think I am a fool to build a factory and I won’t make provision for raw materials? I am not that foolish, I read economics and so I knew what the vision was.”
The $35 million factory, built from an Indian EXIM Bank facility, has not worked since its commissioning in 2016.
The factory was revamped to revive the local production of sugar, thereby reducing the importation of the commodity.
