Kumasi, April 1, GNA - The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has pledged his support for initiatives and projects that would create employment for people and also promote development.

He has, therefore, appealed to entrepreneurs and investors to take advantage of the goodwill to open factories in the region given its strategic location and the peaceful nature of its people. Otumfuo Osei Tutu said this after he had toured the Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) Cocoa processing factory at Kaasi in Kumasi on Thursday. ADM is a Free Zone company, which processes cocoa beans into liquor for export. It started operations in the country in 2009.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II commended the company for adding value to Ghana's cocoa and helping to enhance the image of the country. He said the establishment of the state-of-the-art facility in Kumasi, attested to the company's determination to build enduring relationship with the people and called on other companies to learn from its example. Mr Mouhamadou Kane, ADM General Manager, West Africa, said since its establishment, the company had taken steps to build strong relationships with the community.

He said they have been supporting the work of the National Catholic Health Service, built a sanitary facility at Kaase and collaborated with German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) to provide medical services to prevent and treat HIV, Tuberculosis, malaria and other infectious diseases in the area. He said the operation of the Kumasi plant was important to the company's efforts at becoming the preferred global supplier of cocoa and chocolate solutions. He said it had strengthened their ability to source high quality cocoa beans from Ghana and provided its customers access to quality chocolate ingredients.