From Sebastian R. Freiku
A state-of-the-art street lighting assembly plant has been established by Prefos Limited at Adako-Jachie near Ejisu and commissioned by His Royal Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
The plant has the capacity to daily assemble 500 pieces of street light bulbs for the nationwide street illumination project initiated by the government.
Prefos Limited, a building, road, civil and electrical engineering contractor, which is also into general merchandise, supplies and import and export, has partnered the government in the implementation of street light projects across the country.
Prefos has, since January 1991, tapped into the supply of electrical materials, and has established an assembling plant for the assembling of lighting systems to give the project the needed boost.
The company is assembling knock down street lighting components from Hungary, Spain, UK, China, Holland, Portugal and Saudi Arabia into globally acceptable models, in compliance with the approved standards of the Ghana Standards Authority.
Prefos Limited has also established an exclusive electrical training institute for skill development and capacity training for the youth to handle lighting systems at the various district assemblies. The centre is to create direct employment opportunities for about 30,000 youth in the country.
Mr. Alexie Kwasi Fosu, Managing Director of Prefos Limited, said the long-term goal of the company was to establish a hundred percent locally-based street lighting equipment manufacturing facility.
He said the company had already taken delivery of 1,530 metres of underground cables and poles, among other street lighting fixtures, for the implementation of the project.
He said the Technical Division of the Ministry of Education, Energy Commission and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) had developed a comprehensive syllabus for the programme, to enable the centre train the youth from various district assemblies under the Ministry of Local Government sponsorship.
According to him, about 2,500 personnel would be recruited for training under the project, and that about 30, 15 and 10 personnel respectively would be deployed by the company to the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to man their lighting systems under the contract to ensure lights at the district capitals.
Mr. Fosu also announced that Prefos had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Laser Guidance, an American company, to produce solar energy in the country very soon.
Commissioning the plant last Friday, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II recommended that the government introduces deliberate policies such as tax concessions and credit facilities to local entrepreneurs to expand their operations and encourage indigenous companies to grow the economy.
The Asantehene urged the government to tackle the concerns of industry to transform the private sector, noting that the industrial sector required deliberate policy direction and efforts to address challenges facing it.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu further suggested the introduction of incentives that would help propel indigenous Ghanaian companies to become more competitive.
The Ashanti King said it is important to put in place measures to protect local industries, by introducing import quotas to reduce the dumping of foreign goods that can be easily produced in the country.
Former President John Agyekum Kufuor underlined the critical importance of energy, without which, the private sector could not be fully developed.
He noted that Africa is endowed with resources, but naturally poor and crying for development.
Mr. Kufuor expressed his belief in the Private Partnership Policy, yet the private sector has not been allowed to mature to provide the needed development.
He doubted if we, as a nation, could develop when all components of electricity are imported.
The former President commended the Managing Director of Prefos Limited for the bold initiative, and said Ghana needed more.
The President of the Ghana Chamber of Commerce (AGI), Mr. Seth Adjei Baah, called on the government to encourage the private sector to create more jobs for the people.
He also called on investors to take advantage of the available resources to move the economy to another level.
Dr. Felix Darko, a local representative of Philips, announced that Philips had partnered Prefos, and was providing quality electrical components for assembling, and hoped the initiative would inspire other investors to help the private sector grow and move Ghana forward.
Mr. Julius Debrah, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, who presided over the commissioning of the facility, acknowledged Prefos’ immense contribution to the beautification and security of the cities and towns, and pledged the support of the government.
Mr. Samuel Sarpong, Ashanti Regional Minister, expressed the government’s determination to ensure sufficient and reliable electricity supply to promote socio-economic development.