Western Regional Minister, Dr. Kwabena Okyere Darko Mensah on Monday, March 13th paid a working visit to RMS GPT Ghana Limited and Amandi Holdings’ site in Eshiem in the Sekondi Takorad Metropolitan.
RMS Concrete Limited is a wholly owned Ghanaian company, partly owned by the Government of Ghana, and established to produce prestressed concrete sleepers and other concrete products.
The Company was established in line with the Government of Ghana’s One District One Factory (1D1F) initiative to promote industrialization and also ensure local participation in the revamping of Ghana’s railway sector!
The Company entered into a Nomination Agreement with the Ghana Railway Development Authority (GRDA) in October 2019, under which the Company has been nominated as the sole supplier of concrete sleepers and fastenings for the construction of the Western Railway Line.
Addressing management of the company, the regional minister who doubles as a member of parliament for Takoradi assured RMS GPT of the government’s support as he emphasized that the concept of the 1 District 1 Factory (1D1F) is aimed at providing a sustainable way of resolving the unemployment crisis while making the country more economically viable. He encourages them to almost immediately make it a priority to upscale in order to take up other projects in the railway sector.
“ I believe that you are not only going to produce for this project. You should also be producing for the Huni Valley to Dunkwa Offin to Obuasi projects. I believe that that will make you more competitive, otherwise, if you produce for just a small project, the cost per sleeper might also go up”, he said.
He further charged RMS GPT to as far as possible source everything the company would require to operate from Ghana, particularly, the catchment area of the company.
“ I believe that when it gets to employment too, the young men around Eshiem, they have also gone to school and they also have the skills. If they do not even have the skills, you should have a program to identify some and train them at TTI or Takoradi Technical University, so that they can upgrade their skills, so can fit in. So that they can feel that they are also part of the factory here, so they can also protect your investment”, he added.
The director of the Company, George Kow Odum was happy to report that the company not only source almost all raw material locally for production but also have an enviable record of employing local hands to work. He appealed to the state to help fix the communication signals in the area where the company is sited while making the access roads more motorable.
The Western Regional Minister who was accompanied by the Regional Police Command and Regional Customs command further inspected the progress of work at the factory.