The Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources in charge of Mines, Hon. George Mireku Duker has called on the chiefs and people of Ada to support the redevelopment of Songor in order for it to generate much revenue.
He said Salt production is a profitable venture which in itself can help government generate enough revenue so as to be able to build an economy that will be resilient against the dollar.
The Deputy Minister was speaking during a tour of the Songor salt project where he indicated that when the economy is strong with the needed revenues generated from ventures such as salt, it will make the Cedi strong and help solve the depreciation problem.
He expressed great confidence in Electrochem Ghana Limited in transforming lives and making lives better in Ada.
According to him, it is evident that the lease granted Electrochem Ghana to redevelop the Songor Salt has not been misapplied but being utilized to the benefit of the people of Ada and the entire nation.
His visit was to familiarize with the company’s operations and obtain firsthand information on the structures being put in place to help transform the Ada Songor Salt Project from its crude and artisanal status to a world class commercial salt production site.
The Deputy Minister and his entourage were taken on a familiarization tour of the concession.
Addressing the gathering after the tour, Hon. George Mireku Duker gave the assurance that the Ministry would continue to give McDan and Electrochem the needed support for them to do well in the salt Industry, since it has become clear that the project is 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 to support him immensely. There is the need for us to build our indigenes to get to the level as South Africa, the money remains here, so we have to encourage people like McDan to do more. He is not doing this for himself, he is considering the community hence he is creating pans for the communities around,” he said.
The Deputy Minister also averred that the hard work being shown by Electrochem is what has brough the company far.
He thanked 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 their people especially the youth and women.
He said: “Our support for the project if 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.”
Restoration of the Songor
In its first year of operations, Electrochem Ghana constructed a carnal that connected the lagoon with the sea and channeled 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 are fast booming, making life far more comfortable for the fisher folks.
Community Pans:
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.
CSR Footprints of the Company
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 one thousand 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 Ghana Limited
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 fifteen-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.
