The Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr Kobina Tahir Hammond, has admonished chiefs, opinion leaders and the youth to rally behind Electrochem Salt Mining Limited to spearhead the modernization of salt mining and processing in Ghana.
He made the call at the commissioning of the Electrochem’s Salt Mining Industry on Monday in Ada.
He stressed that the project’s success would not only transform the local economy but also position Ghana as an important salt producer on the global market.
Highlighting the transformative potential of this groundbreaking project, Mr Hammond underscored the strategic importance of the salt mining sector, which holds the promise of attracting allied industries reliant on salt as a fundamental raw material.
The Minister said the much-needed jobs would be created within the region and the broader economic benefits that would ensue due the industry’s expansion.
He noted that the huge regional and global demand for salt for industrial uses and human and animal consumption make it a highly strategic resource that requires significant investments to harness in a commercially viable but environmentally and socially sustainable way.
According to him, the private sector has over the years shown investment interest in salt mining and processing but these companies are either defunct or currently non-operational due to difficulties encountered at each stage of implementation.
He stated that the commissioning also marks a major transition into large-scale salt mining and processing to enable Ghana to begin to realize its rightful place as a major salt producer.
The Minister was elated that Electrochem, after experiencing some challenges and setbacks in operations within the area, has managed to invest $88 million in the state-of-the-art salt-washing plant and its ancillary infrastructure and facilities.
“Progress has been relatively fast considering the Electrochem industrial site, which was completed in February this year, you just took two years to construct,” he said.
Electrochem Ghana Limited, the operator of the salt mine, are a subsidiary of the McDan Group of Companies and a wholly Ghanaian-owned company registered in 2017.
It is strategically positioned to leverage over two decades of expertise and resources to invest in and maximize returns from the salt and chemical industries.
The company has secured a concession of 41,000 acres at Ada Songor to produce 1,000,000 metric tons of salt per annum to supply to local and export markets. In the medium term, the output will be increased substantially and part of it used to feed a chlor-alkali plant to produce caustic soda and other chemical products.