Executives of some of the world’s largest garment makers have taken a tour of the state-of-the-art Dawa Industrial Zone (DIZ), which is owned, developed and managed by LMI Holdings, an indigenous business conglomerate, with hopes of establishing factories to produce some of the world’s known clothing brands for the local and international market.
The group had business executives from PVH –producers of Van Heusen, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein – H&M and VF Asia Sourcing Limited – the Asian unit of VF Corporation which owns brands such as Timberland, Vans, Walls and JanSports were briefed and taken round the Dawa Industrial Zone to see where factories and residences would be situated.
The tour, which forms part of the garment makers’ agenda of scouting of ideal location for setting up a garments village for manufacturing and exports of their products, was facilitated by the Ministry of Trade and Industry in collaboration with the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.
Ernest Owusu-Afari, Executive Director of LMI Holdings, which developed and operates the Tema Free Zones Enclave for the past 20 years, believes that securing the manufacturing businesses of these global brands here in Ghana would give a strong impetus to the government’s drive to establish Ghana as the hub for garments manufacturing and industrialisation in the sub-region.
“It would be a significant achievement for the government, the private sector and people of Ghana to secure the business of these brands. It would mean we have met certain key benchmarks including the availability of political stability, reliable energy, skilled and semi-skilled manpower and infrastructures such as railway, roads, electricity and water,” he said.
Why choose Dawa Industrial Zone?
LMI Holdings, Mr Owusu-Afari noted, has identified the garments and textiles industry as one of the sectors with the potential to yield large numbers of well-paid jobs, as well as export and tax revenue for the state.
That is why he believes that locating one’s garment factory in the Dawa Industrial Zone, especially the Garments Village –a 200-acre demarcation within the zone– is the best decision the garment makers can make. To him, the primary advantages include one of the largest electricity sub-stations in Ghana, a first-class internal road network, central drainage and sewerage, and fibre optic data facilities, security and professional estate management.
“We have designated 200 acres of land to serve the garment sector exclusively; our proximity to the Tema port for the import of raw materials and export of finished goods; our connection to the under-construction railway lines that link the south to the north; capacity to accommodate all classes of the industry including energy-intensive ones are some of our advantages.
We have quality and reliability electricity in our industrial park which is comparable to first-world levels with 99.8percent uptime over the past 12 months. LMI Holdings and the Ghana Free Zones Authority have agreed to designate 1,000 acres of the DIZ as a free zones enclave. Government agencies including the Free Zones Authority, Ghana Revenue Authority and the police service will have a permanent presence on the site,” he told the investors.
Going green and preferential tariffs
With the Tema Free Zones Enclave seeing the construction of a 12MW roof-mounted solar generating facility to reduce LMI Holdings’ carbon footprint and that of its tenants, Mr Owusu-Afari explained that the DIZ would benefit from a 30MW solar farm.
“Electricity tariffs are regulated by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) but the Garments Village, as a strategic economic initiative, may be eligible for preferential tariffs at the government’s discretion,” he added.
The Dawa Industrial Zone is the focal point of a new 22,000 acre planned urban development initiated and completely funded by LMI Holdings, but with the active support and encouragement of the government of Ghana.
Kojo Aduhene is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of LMI Holdings with 27 years’ post qualification experience in the construction industry. He holds a B.Sc. Degree in Civil Engineering from Leeds University. After his University education, he worked on a number of prestigious projects in the UK, including the Channel Tunnel, which links mainland UK to continental Europe and the Docklands, a hugely successful urban rejuvenation development.
He returned to Ghana in 1992 to set up his own company, John Murphy Construction, which has developed into what can arguably be described as one of the largest Civil Engineering, Property and Utility Conglomerates in Ghana- LMI Holdings.
His passion is teaching and his driving ambition is to make AFRICA RISING a reality
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Mr Albert Essien is a retired banker and the former Chief Executive Officer of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) where he spent 25 years rising through the ranks to become Group CEO in March 2014.
Prior to becoming Group CEO, Mr Essien served as Deputy CEO and Executive Director for Corporate and Investment Banking for 2 years. Mr Essien had previously led ETIs operations in Anglophone West Africa (excluding Nigeria), Eastern and Southern Africa. He is widely credited with the growth of the Ecobank brand in these markets.
Mr Essien started his banking career in 1986 with the National Investment Bank (NIB) in Accra, Ghana and joined the Corporate Banking Department of Ecobank Ghana in 1990.
Albert Essien holds a degree in Economics from the University of Ghana and is an alumnus of the Executive Development Programme of INSEAD (France/Singapore).
He is also an honorary fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, Ghana. Mr. Essien joined the LMI Board in May 2012
Mr. Justice Kusi-Minkah Premo is a lawyer by profession and is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Minkah-Premo & Co. (Legal Practitioners). He was called to the Ghana Bar in April 1984 and is a member of the Ghana Bar Association.
He has previously served as the Former Vice President of the Ashanti Region branch of the Ghana Bar Association, the Former National Vice President of the Ghana Bar Association, the Former member of the General Legal Council (Body responsible for training, certification and discipline of lawyers in Ghana), the Former member of the Advisory Board of Ministry of Justice and Attorney General’s Dept and as a Former Senior Lecturer of the Ghana School of Law.
Currently he is serving on the boards of Minkah Premo & Co, UT Holdings Ltd., UT Life Ltd. and the Ghana Police Council.
He holds an LLB (1981) from the University of Ghana, a BL (1984) from the Ghana School of Law and an LLM (2005) from the University of Ghana.
Mr. Justice Kusi-Minkah Premo joined the LMI Board on 1st January, 2016.
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