The Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr George MirekuDuker, has expressed confidence in Electrochem Ghana Limited in transforming Ada Songhor salt project into a profitable venture for the benefit of the people of Ada and all Ghanaians.
According to him, it is evident that the lease granted Electrochem Ghana,to redevelop the Songor Salt had not been misapplied but being utilised to the benefit of the people of Ada and the entire nation.
The Deputy Minister said this during a working visit, over the weekend to Electrochem Ghana Limited, regarded as West Africa’s largest salt mine.
His visit was to familiarise with the company’s operations and obtain firsthand information on the structures being established to help transform the Ada Songor Salt Project from its crude and artisanal status to a world class commercial salt production site.
After his entourage were taken on a familiarisation tour of the concession, MrMirekuDukeraddressing a gathering gave the assurance that the Ministry would continue to giveElectrochem the needed support for the company to do well in the salt industry, since it hadbecome clear that the project was directly and indirectly impacting positively on the economy.
“I am happy to see how the company is adding value to our salt and other countries are demanding from Ghana. I will appeal to the chiefs and people of the area to support him so that together we build our indigenes to get to the level of other countries.
The Deputy Minister also said that the hard work by Electrochem is what has brought the company far and thanked the traditional leaders for showing the needed leadership and urged them to continue in the spirit of togetherness so as to get the area transformed to impact on the lives of the people especially the youth and women.
He said: “Our support for the project is for us to win together. Win for Electrochem, win for Ada, and win for Ghana. It is time for us to concentrate on salt mine because there is more, we can derive from that.”
In its first year of operations, Electrochem Ghana constructed a carnal that connected the lagoon with the sea and channelled water back into the lagoon for the first time in about 40 years to restore it to its natural ecological state to serve as a store house of sea water for commercial salt making.
Fishing activities in the lagoon have since also been revived as a result and is fast booming, making life far more comfortable for the fisher folks.
This initiative is the company’s way of ensuring that the livelihood of artisanal miners (Atsiakpor) in Ada is not disrupted in any way. Nakomkope in the Agbakpe community already has its pans filled with mature brine while engineering and construction works are fast progressing on the pans to be allocated to the people of Adjumanikope, Agbedrafor, Bornikope, Toflokpo, Salome, Mantsekope, Kportitsekope, Kposem, Lolonya, Goi and Anyamam.
This initiative, according to the company, will be mirrored in Ada East once the company expands its operations to the Ada East District.
In one year, Electrochem Ghana’s CSR footprints are fast becoming visible and the impact of its initiatives felt all the way to the grassroots.
Over 1,000 local women entrepreneurs from Ada are in brisk business, through the three million interest-free loan scheme introduced by the company.
Other interventions include the provision of a 20-unit toilet facility for the Lolonya community, the rehabilitation of access roads in and around the concession, the planting of white mangroves and acacia species to aid afforestation, the widow’s support programme, scholarship to students, and donation of educational materials to basic schools.
The company also intends to make Ada the home to the largest sports village in Ghana as construction works are fast progressing and are expected to be completed this year.
Electrochem is a subsidiary of the McDan Group of Companies. It is the largest salt and chlorine-alkali manufacturing firm in West Africa with a concession spanning 41,000 acres at Ada Songor.
The company which was granted a 15-year mining lease to explore the salt resource in the Ada Songor launched its operations in January 2021 with a target to produce one million metric tons of salt per annum to supply to both the local and export markets.