The Minority in Parliament is demanding a transition period before the government proceeds to cancel the One District-One Factory initiative introduced under the erstwhile Akufo-Addo administration.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, July 9, Ranking Member of the Trade and Industry Committee, Michael Okyere Baafi, noted that 322 1D1F companies are at various stages of implementation while 169 factories have been completed and are currently operational under the 1D1F programme.
The Minority says the outright cancellation of the IDIF without a grace period for companies to transition their business properly will affect their investments.
Mr. Baafi explained that what government ought to do is to allow these companies operating under the initiative to continue until next year by which the policy intended to substitute the IDIF would be fully ready.
“What we want to propose to the Ministry is that they must carefully think about this and have a transition period because this was a policy that was instituted by a government and run it for almost six years and so you cannot just say it is cancelled.
“There is the need for us to have a transition period where we can sit down and say because we are already operationalising this project, you can still run it till the end of the year or till next year so that it will serve as a comfort to these companies who have invested so much money in the system.
“We think it is absolutely not right and we want to call on the government to as soon as possible come out with a plan…the 24 hour economy that we foresee is coming to take over the IDIF is not going to start now, for me I describe it as dead at birth,” he stated.
The Minority’s concern comes after the Minister for Trade, Agribusiness, and Industry informed Parliament on Tuesday, July 8 that the government has officially scrapped the initiative.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament, the Minister indicated that the government is now shifting its focus toward developing agro-processing industrial parks as part of the 24-hour economy agenda.
“As of now, there is no policy as 1D-1F. The 24-hour economy is the new thing on the block, the game changer,” she said.
She stressed “Mr. Speaker, I want to draw the House’s attention to the fact that as of now, there is no policy as 1D1F.”
