GNL CONTRIBUTES TO RURAL DEVELOPMEDNT (PAGE 43, JUNE 28, 2010)

THE private sector has been constantly described as the engine of growth of the economy since the sector contributes significantly to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country. In fact,the private sector has provided and continues to offer employment to a reasonable percentage of the country’s young population.
But for this sector, a lot of young people would have led wayward lives by becoming criminals.
By getting involved in criminal activities, some of our young men and women would have either ended their lives prematurely, gone to jail, sustained some degrees of injury or contracted various diseases, a phenomenon which is not healthy for the country.
While admitting that the private sector plays its part to the growth of the Ghanaian economy, it is an undeniable fact that most of these business ventures are concentrated in the cities of Accra, Kumasi, Tema and Takoradi.
It is against this background that it is refreshing and commendable to see the establishment of a company known as Ghana Nuts Limited (GNL) at Techiman in the Brong Ahafo Region, which operates as a commodity trader in Soya, Groundnuts, Cashew, Sheanuts and Sesame for local consumption and export.
The company was established in 2001 as an agro-processing centre of excellence within the West African Sub- Region, with emphasis on effective rural wealth creation, promote health and vitality, sustainable food security, human resource development and good corporate social responsibility.
GNL operates under the Ghana Free Zones Board (GFZB) and is a registered member of the Ghana Export Promotion Council (GEPC) and since 2003, the company has received awards of Gold and Platinum from the GEPC.
The company has a plant capacity of 75,000 tonnes for Soya beans, 31,000 tonnes for Shea Cake and 36,000 for the Oil Refinery, and during its peak season engages a total of 336 people made up of 238 men and 98 women as permanent workers, 433 casuals, comprising 194 men and 239 female.
For the company’s indirect workforce, a total of 7,603 constitute out-growers in Soya beans production in northern Ghana and the Brong Ahafo Region, while over 5,000 families are engaged through the procurement of Shea and Pea nuts, all of whom enjoy free transport service, meals, medicare and vitality services.
GNL recognises that it has a significant stake in the prosperity, health, vitality and quality of life of the society in which it operates and as a community stakeholder, the company views its support as both a sound investment and primary responsibility, which it has been doing through donations of various kinds.
As part of GNL’s corporate social responsibility portfolio, the company has adopted and renovated the Children’s Ward of the Techiman Holy Family Hospital, as well as the developed a modern laundry service at the same hospital.
In line with its vision of good health and vitality, the company has donated a fully automated and comprehensively insured ambulance to the Chiraa Health Centre in the Sunyani West District, with a professional driver contracted to ensure efficient operation.
Besides, the company has procured three combined harvesters for Soya bean farmers through its wealth creation programme to encourage the youth in agriculture, while it has also transformed the Fiaso Church of Pentecost in the Nkoranza North District.
The GNL has also assisted the Community Nurses Training School at Tanoso, near Sunyani, by donating 200 bags of cement worth GH¢3,000 to support development projects being embarked upon by the school authorities, including the fencing of the acquired land area to avoid encroachment.
Making the presentation, the Human Resource and Administrative Manager of GNL, Mr Evans Annor, expressed the hope that the donation would facilitate the projects that were under construction or was yet to start, saying his outfit would not renege on its social responsibility programmes which were geared towards the enhancement of the well-being of the people.
The District Director of Health Services for Tano North, Dr Yakubu Bayayinah, observed that the government alone could not handle the development needs of the country and it behoved on all well meaning individuals, organisations and institutions to assist in that direction.
Mrs Josephine Koranteng-Asare, the Principal of the school, who received the gift, indicated that, the one-storey building which was originally constructed to serve as a classroom block was now being used for other purposes, pointing out that there were a number of problems confronting the school which needed immediate attention.
Within a brief period of its existence, GNL has sought to, and succeeded in extending its influence to the length and breadth of the country and has remained focused on its core competencies with the installed state of the art processing machines to process what the company terms as, Refined, Bleached and Deodorised (RBD) Soya and Cotton seed cooking oil.
The company has become a household name in the vicinity of the Techiman Municipality as a world class producer of Soya bean oil and Soy bean meal, Cotton seed meal and Cotton seed oil, as well as Shea butter.