Zoomlion Ghana Limited is set to record another first in the development of the Kumasi metropolis.
On Friday, the company rolled out its tractor assembly project in Kumasi to complement the efforts of the government at building Kumasi into a strong technology transfer hub of the country.
The project, to be undertaken with other partners, including the Mahindra and Mahindra Company of India, the Ministries of Food and Agriculture, Trade, Industry and PSI, and the Garages Association, is expected train the youth of the Suame Magazine in the fabrication of tractor and other vehicle parts.
It will also provide the unemployed youth in the Suame area with employable skills, and also serve as a training ground for artisans from various garages, as well as students from the metal fabrication departments of technical institutions, polytechnics and universities.
The Communications Manager of Zoomlion, Mrs Isabella Gyau-Orhin, briefing journalists in Kumasi about the project, said it was one of the best things to happen to the metropolis.
The central location of Kumasi provides a lot of advantages for the city's accelerated development but unfortunately very little has been done to take advantage of the situation.
In the area of technology transfer, the Suame Magazine, which is considered the biggest industrial estate in Africa, has not realised its full potential.
Various factors have accounted for this situation and the government and non-governmental organisations have moved in to correct the situation but with little success.
It is as a result of this situation that the initiative of Zoomlion is commendable and welcome.
Significantly, Zoomlion has never looked back since it decided to move into areas other than the core duty of refuse management.
What they are about to do in Kumasi gives a clear picture about the seriousness of the company to spread its tentacles and they could not have chosen a better place to undertake this project than Kumasi.
The industriousness of the people of this great city is unquestionable and the company expects to attain the goals for the establishment of the plant.
The company has acquired the premises for the project at Asokwa, where already some of the Mahindra tractors are being assembled.
A combined team of experts and professionals from Zoomlion, Mahindra and other stakeholders would run the plant.
One interesting feature of the project is that a number of the tractor parts would be manufactured at the plant, with only a few of them coming in from India, where the Mahindra company is located.
Officials of Zoomlion said the project would benefit the agriculture and the educational sectors, as well as artisans in Kumasi.
To the agriculture sector, the availability of tractors in the system is expected to lead to increased food production and food security.
It will also ensure that farmers get tractors at affordable prices.
To the artisans, the plant will provide employment avenues and also sharpen their technological skills.
In the educational sector, the plant will provide practical training for students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and other tertiary institutions offering courses in the relevant fields.
The communications manager said the plant would also be involved in the fabrication of other vehicle parts and metal works, such as spare parts of tricycles used by Zoomlion.
This will reduce the importation of vehicle parts and also improve the national economy.
She expressed the hope that as the plant progressed in its operations, a number of unemployed youth would find jobs, while talented artisans would acquire Indian technology of fabricating tractor parts and the manufacturing of other equipment.
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