The Gallant Cadres of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have issued a strongly worded statement urging the government to operationalise the Komenda Sugar Factory, insisting that the revival of the facility is critical to the economic rejuvenation of the ancient town.
In a release dated Sunday, June 21, 2026, the group cautioned the government against taking the people of Komenda for granted, stressing that any failure to honour the pledge to reactivate the dysfunctional plant would amount to a betrayal of trust.
Tracing the factory’s chequered history, the Cadres noted that the facility, originally established in 1964, began facing operational hurdles in the 1990s and subsequently collapsed. They recalled that it was under former President John Dramani Mahama that a modern reconstruction and revamp was initiated around 2013. The statement added that the factory was completed and inaugurated with fanfare in 2016 by President Mahama, raising high hopes among residents for jobs and a total economic transformation of Komenda and its environs.
The group contends that the people of Komenda voted massively for the NDC in the belief that the factory would be revived, following the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) failure to act on the matter over eight years. However, since the NDC assumed office in January 2025, no meaningful progress has been recorded regarding the facility, prompting the Cadres to demand urgent clarity on the following issues:
· Does the Minister of Trade and Industry possess full knowledge of the factory’s current state?
· Is the Presidency, alongside all officials who pledged to revive the factory, aware of its present condition?
· Is the Member of Parliament for the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) constituency informed about the status quo?
· Does the Municipal Chief Executive have an accurate update on the situation on the gground
· Is it true that personnel are still receiving salaries to oversee the facility’s operationalisation?
· Who can provide a comprehensive update to the people of Ghana and Komenda regarding the factory’s fate?
The statement concluded that prompt and transparent responses from duty bearers would go a long way in reassuring Ghanaians and reviving the fading hope of producing sugar from the much-touted Komenda Sugar Factory once again.
Below is the full statement:
Press Release
To All Media Houses
The Gallant Cadres of NDC
0208573712
0243179445
0546572070
Put The Komenda Sugar Factory To Use Now -The Gallant Cadres of NDC
The diminishing expectations of the Kinsmen of Komenda is the Komenda Sugar Factory of Saga. The history of Komenda is interesting. Do we know Komenda was originally called KOMEH KROM, named after KOMEH, a hunter who migrated from Techiman and settled there?
Tradition informs us that, for certain strange reasons, visitors to the place were warned “if you go, do not sleep” ,(Ko ma nda) giving birth to the name KOMENDA.
Komenda’s history reveals very interesting phases depicting a determined people who have survived many challenging landmarks.
Komenda was an important trading zone in the Gold Coast when the Europeans arrived. The Dutch began trading in the area in the late 1500s. The British, Danes and others also arrived and built forts along the coast to trade.To control their trade both the British and Dutch built forts close to each other. These forts were used for gold and ivory trade and used for military defence where slaves were kept.
The presence of these rival European powers led to conflicts and the Komenda wars in the 17th century. The European powers fought over control of trade and political interests. Komenda became part of the Trans-Atlantic Trade Network where the forts were used as trading and holding points for slaves. The resistance of Komenda and other surrounding enclaves made them a strong and a resistant people during these times.
After the abolition of the slave trade in the 19th Century, the forts were abandoned.
The legacies of these historical events depict what the people of Komenda have currently. Fort Komenda is now recognized as part of Ghana’s UNESCO World Heritage forts and castles.
The former naval barracks for the British, after the second World War, was used by the Methodists to establish Komenda College, for the training of teachers in 1948.
The biggest asset the town ever had from the “spoils of war” was the establishment of the KOMENDA SUGAR FACTORY in 1964. This big factory which was generally referred to as GHASEL, contributed immensely to the economy of Ghana.
GHASEL, in those days supported Ghana’s industrialization and agricultural development. GHASEL created direct employment to hundreds of workers and indirectly supported many more by creating opportunities for thousands who found jobs along the value chain.
GHASEL encouraged farmers to farm sugar cane as the factory provided ready market for them. Transport operators and other service providers as well as small and medium enterprises benefitted from the existence of GHASEL. It actually stimulated the local economy. GHASEL was producing electricity for its own operations and for the immediate communities surrounding it.
In the late 1990s, our dear GHASEL started collapsing. The supply of its raw materials (sugar cane) started dwindling. The small holder farmers upon whom the factory depended for supply started facing production difficulties.
The irrigation systems started breaking down. Technical and Machinery problems continued to compound. Key parts of the factory like the Boilers, Generators and other key motor parts lacked repairs or replacement. These and many more other factors contributed to the total collapse of GHASEL.
Workers who were owed several amounts started taking parts of the machinery away. Eventually GHASEL became defunct. For so many years, one could just see the skeleton of a once vibrant factory. The effect of this collapse is obvious as hundreds of workers lost their direct employment and many others like drivers, traders, farmers and casual workers lost their sources of income.
It is in the light of the effects of the collapse of GHASEL that the National Deomcratic Congress (NDC) goevrnment under John Dramani Mahama initiated the modern revamp and reconstruction of the factory around 2013. The government contracted an Indian company to do the rehabilitation and rebuild the factory into a modern sugar processing plant.
We know that in 2016 the factory was completed and inaugurated by the President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama amid fanfare and jubilation. The citizens of Komenda and its surrounding had hopes of securing jobs. The people were hopeful of a total economic transformation of Komenda and its environs.
The NDC government lost the general elections in December 2016. This led to the handing over of the factory to the new New Patriotic Party in January, 2017.
From 2017 up till today, the Sugar Factory has never been functional. The expectations of the people of Komenda have never materialized.
The New Patriotic Party could not operationalize this big factory. The reasons and the excuses are varied. They sat idle and supervised the deterioration of this new factory over their eight years of misgovernment Ghana.
In January 2025, the factory was handed over back to the National Democratic Congress under John Dramani Mahama. The people had hopes of its revival. The government promised to fully operationalize this factory to create direct factory jobs and indirect jobs in farming large quantities of sugar cane. This would automatically revive businesses, transport services and other small businesses around Komenda and its environs.
However, a visit to the factory site very recently has prompted the Gallant Cadres of the National Democratic Congress to demand for answers to many questions being asked by the people of Komenda.
The factory as at this time is still not in operation. A cursory look from afar showed no activity. The main gates remained locked. One could feel a sense of neglect and abandonment. The factory buildings looked rusted and dejected. Other portions showed weeds and bush. One could hear the chirps of birds in the compound. There was no security man to talk to. The factory was just not operational.
The Gallant Cadres of NDC want to ask the following questions for the authorities to respond to:
Does the Minister of Trade and the Ministry know of the current state of the factory?
Is the presidency and all who have made promises to revive this factory aware of the current state of the factory?
Is the Member of Parliament for the Komenda Edina Eguafo Abram Constituency aware of the factory’s present state.
Does the Municipal Chief Executive of the Municipality know of the current state of the Komenda sugar factory.
Is it true that there are people who are paid salaries to see to the operationalization of the factory?
Who can update the people of Ghana and the people of Komenda on the state of this factory?
Responses to these questions are quickly needed to reassure the people of Ghana and rekindle their dying hopes of getting sugar again from the MUCH TOUTED KOMENDA SUGAR FACTORY.
It must be remembered that the failure of this factory has serious consequences since big promises were made to lure people to vote for the current government.
Is it another four years of ‘failed promises”. The people of Komenda and Ghana want to know. We need updates now.
Signed :The Gallant Cadres of the National Democratic Congress.
Source By DC Kwame Kwakye
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