The Chief of Simiw in the Central Region and Adontehene of the Edina Traditional Council, Nana Nguando IV, has called on President John Mahama and the government to take urgent steps to reopen the Komenda Sugar Factory, stressing that residents are still waiting for the jobs and economic opportunities promised by the project.
Nana Nguando IV made the call during the 2026 Simiw Enyankor Festival, where he expressed frustration over the continued inactivity of the factory and the impact of youth unemployment in the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem (KEEA) area.
According to the traditional ruler, nearly two years into the current administration, the factory remains inactive despite repeated commitments to revive it.
He noted that the facility, widely associated with the late former President John Evans Atta Mills and the current administration, was expected to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs while providing a ready market for local farmers.
“When the NDC campaigned, we condemned the NPP’s failure to operationalise the Komenda Sugar Factory which alone could create over 7,000 jobs in this constituency, so that we would not have to import sugar,” Nana Nguando IV said.
“It is getting to two years now and the factory, which is a well-known Mills-Mahama project, remains abandoned. The youth are struggling for jobs.”
He urged President Mahama to fulfil the government’s pledge to restore operations at the facility.
“If the Akufo-Addo government could not operationalise it and we campaigned against them for it, we want to send this message to the President that we are still waiting for the Komenda Sugar Factory to be operationalised,” he added.
The Komenda Sugar Factory was constructed in 2014 and commissioned in 2016 at a reported cost of about US$35 million. It was expected to help Ghana reduce its dependence on imported sugar and create more than 7,000 direct and indirect jobs.
However, the facility has remained largely inactive, with successive attempts to restore production facing several challenges.
Trade Minister Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare told Parliament in February that the factory had been disconnected from the national electricity grid and water supply over unpaid bills and required refurbishment before it could resume operations.
The government has indicated that it intends to make the facility operational by the end of 2026, with the involvement of a strategic private investor.
Residents of the KEEA constituency have also appealed to the President to ensure that the latest commitment translates into concrete action, arguing that youth unemployment remains a major concern in the area.
The concerns are not new. In February, NDC National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketia also called for government intervention to revive the factory and restore the employment opportunities originally associated with the project.
For Nana Nguando IV and other residents, the issue goes beyond politics. They believe the factory’s revival would create employment for young people, provide a market for sugarcane farmers and stimulate economic activity across the KEEA Municipality.
With the government seeking strategic private investment to support the facility, residents are now urging authorities to move beyond promises and ensure that the Komenda Sugar Factory begins producing again.
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