Regional News of Tuesday, 11 March 2014

Source: Seth Krampah

Danish ambassador visits site for new smido industrial complex

The Ambassador of DANIDA, Margit Thomsen, paid a historic working visit to Suame Magazine to inspect the new 1000 acre site intended to be develop Suame Magazine into a Globally Competitive Industrial complex.

The visit was principally a fact-finding tour to explore the prospects of committing the Danish international development Technical support in the development of a modern internationally designed industrial complex to transform Suame Magazine into a modern industrial complex.

The Danish Ambassador was accompanied by the New President of SMIDO, Mr. Sarpong Boateng, the Programme Director of the Danish private Sector Support project, Lars Jokers ,the Chief of Adubinsu-kese , Nana Owusu Apeasa II, and the consultant to SMIDO, Nyaaba-Aweeba Azongo to inspect the site and to prevail upon the Traditional custodians and all stakeholders to resolve the land title issue and other commitments required to immediately secure Danish Government commitment by the Second Quarter of this year.

The Ambassador expressed her profound impression of the prospects of Suame Magazine achieving a significant height in Technological Development and economic prosperity for the entire country.

She expressed the readiness of the Danish Embassy to commit funding for technical support to the project to ensure that the project meets the requisite international design in-terms of design and development of Suame Magazine in the new land by the end of the first quarter of this year to benefit from Danish technical support.

Danish Ambassador flanked by Chief of the Area and SMIDO New president, Sarpong Boateng at the site of the Suame Magazine industrial complex project.

The President of SMIDO, Mr.Sarpong Boateng expressed appreciation on behalf of the Executive Council of SMIDO and entire artisan-body in Kumasi and Ashanti for the wonderful visit by the ambassador which he describes as historic and very re-assuring to the teaming artisans whose livelihood is at the risk of collapse and requires urgent intervention. The artisans currently are faced with the difficulty of to coping with the new technology in vehicular repairs and securing a permanent n industrial space for their operations in the Region.

Mr. Sarpong Boateng has made a passionate appeal to the Asantehene and Regions political leaders in the region to actively intervene to resolve the necessary bottle necks to facilitate Danish government funding to set the basis for the project. He says obtaining the support of DANIDA within this short time-frame is a serious test to the commitment of the region’s leadership to not only the support the development of Suame Magazine but also the development of the region as a whole.

The consultant to SMIDO Nyaaba-Aweeba Azongo said the visit is a major boost to the prospects of transforming the industrial estate into a modern one. The plan is to develop the major industrial complex on the 1000acre land after the design under the auspices of the Danish embassy to set the basis for both domestic and foreign investment arrangements within the framework of the Regional Investment Gateway project for development of the industrial complex.