GHANA – The government of Ghana through the ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation has unveiled plans to open a soya bean processing factory under its One-District One-Factory initiative, reports Ghana News Agency.
According to, Professor Frimpong Kwabena Boateng from the ministry, the factory will be established in Nahaa district and will help in promoting the Sustainable Land and Water Management Project (SLWMP).
The minister noted that water is paramount to the success of the SLWM Project and henceforth pledged the governments support to construct a dam to the community under the ‘One Village One Dam’ as a catalyst for the Project.
Farmers in the region have lamented over increased challenges facing soya bean production including lack of potable water, lack of CHIPS Compounds, bushfires, and poor infrastructure.
As a mitigation measure, the government launched a training programme under SLWM Project to assist farmers in applying technology on their farms to boost crop production and to control bushfires.
Professor Frimpong said the project was aimed at making Ghana a ‘food basket’ of the West Africa sub-region.
“For the past two years Ghana has been exporting food items to neighbouring countries such as Mali, Togo and Burkina Faso,” he said. Since the launch of the training programme, beneficiaries have noted the improved capacity on bushfire prevention, prevention of soil erosion, restoration of soil fertility, conservation of moisture on farmlands and afforestation among others.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, soybeans remain profitable cash crop as well as a high-quality protein source and countries have been gearing up towards optimally utilising the untapped potential of the commodity.
Over the past year, Ghana through the Ghanaian National Agricultural Research System has partnered launched a Soya bean Innovation Lab (SIL) in partnership with USAID to promote improved soybean yields for smallholder farmers,
Soybean Management with Appropriate Research and Technology (SMART) Farm, a subsidiary under SIL was also integrated to provide an ideal training centre on soybean agronomics for practitioners from countries in West Africa.
Local demand of soy in Ghana has been estimated at 150,000 MT with the consumption seen grow at a rate of 26% annually over the last decade.
This demand is being driven in large part by the use of soy as a key ingredient, along with maize, in poultry feed processed soy for human consumption as oil, milk, and other forms, as well as for use in the chemical industries for paint.
The current supply of processed soy is unable to satisfy local market demand, and opportunities for export exist as soy demand globally has increased for biodiesel production and for use in feed for livestock and poultry.
