New Tafo (ER), March 13, GNA - serious efforts are underway to establish a micro-cocoa processing factory at New Tafo in the Eastern Region, Mr J B Danquah Adu, Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North has announced. He said the establishment of the factory was necessary to provide jobs for people in a constituency that heavily subsisted on cocoa farming and also to tap on the expertise and findings of the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) situated in the constituency.

The MP said there was the need to add value to the enormous cocoa yields being produced in the area so as to increase the income accruing to farmers and subsequently diversify the economic base of the area. Mr Danquah Adu, who is also the Deputy Minister of Women and Children's Affairs, was speaking at a meeting of the Abuakwa North New Patriotic Part (NPP) constituency executive at New Tafo in the Eastern Region on Sunday. He said in addition to the cocoa processing factory, a bakery project was also in the offing to complement the dressmaking centre, which had already been established as part of efforts at increasing the financial capacity of his constituents.

The Deputy Minister assured communities without electricity that over 350 million cedis worth of poles had been procured to provide them with electricity from the national grid. He said several millions of cedis had been spent in improving sanitation facilities, building new markets and providing farmers with farming tools. The constituency chairman, Mr Daniel Asare, urged NPP supporters not to feel distracted by negative comments by some opposing political elements against the NPP administrations, saying, "The government is on top of its job." He advised NPP adherents to put away all bickering so as to help push government's agenda forward and help the party to retain power in the 2008 election.

Mr Victor Asihene, East Akyem District Chief Executive, briefed the constituency executives on activities of the District Assembly and urged people who were not satisfied with some activities to approach his office for explanation instead of trying to blame the Assembly.