Koa

The construction of our second factory in Achiase is progressing, though slower than expected. The current global challenges also affect no wonder our project. Despite the main rainy season in Ghana being over at the time construction started, Achiase experienced heavy precipitation for a typical minor rainy season. These circumstances made the construction process and especially the earthworks much more challenging. Water needs to be pumped out of the excavated areas, machines get stuck, working hours/days are interrupted and workers need to operate more consciously to avoid accidents. These unexpected heavy continuous rain falls significantly impacted the construction works.

In addition, we are missing warehouse space which makes it hard to store materials and machines properly. Some components of the factory super structure have already arrived and need to be stored in a safe place until the factory building is done. A major reason for not finding enough storage space is the location of our project. To overcome this problem, we are looking into other options to store our materials to avoid the delays and possible damages.

Another current global challenge that is affecting the factory project is inflation. In Ghana, annual consumer inflation rose to a new 21-year high of 40.4%. Ghana’s Cedi lost around half its value in the month of October compared to the US dollar. Housing, electricity and fuel (hence transport charges) were most affected by it, while other goods and services have seen lower inflation rates. It is unclear how the situation will develop in the near future which makes it challenging to plan ahead.

Despite all these, we keep our smile and we progress. Because no one has said it’s going to be easy, right? Or as our Ghana colleagues would say: We’re managing.