Export of oil palm into African country like Nigeria could solve the unemployment challenges in Ghana and also halt the destruction of the environment.
The Chief Executive Officer for Oro oil Oro Oil Ghana Limited said oil palm demands in Nigeria alone is enormous which could create employment for millions of Ghanaian youths if the government could that enabling environment for the private sector.
Mr. Maxwell Commey who is also a board Member of Tree Crop Development Authority of
Ghana said, “we are destroying our nature with the aim of looking for gold underground, but there is gold on the surface which would not destroy nature, which is oil palm”.
The National Executive Member of Oil Palm Development Association of Ghana
(OPDAG) was speaking in an interview with Onua News.
“Oil palm is valuable than gold because one way or the other, we consume oil palm on daily basis. We use it for soap, we consume it, and then we use it for oil for the generation fuel of plants and into vehicles. We can produce oil palm to just Nigeria alone and we will not do illegal mining”, he explained.
Mr. Commey noted that “palm tree is the only tree that produces two oils. Palm kernel oil and palm oil and they are all needed massively”.
“Ghana consumes 440,000 to 450,000 metric tons a year, but the maximum production capacity is just 340,000 to 380,000 metric tons a year, so most companies import a lot of oil into the country, and this is putting pressure on the Ghana cedi because every country that has developed produced and consumed whatever they grow”.
He said, “if we want to build the economy, we must produce and consume whatever we produce instead of exporting almost everything”.
Export of oil palm
Mr. Commey explained that “as the largest exporter of palm oil in Ghana, they cannot meet the demand from the market and so his company buy from other farmers and producers and companies”.
“We export to Nigeria, and we cannot meet our demands in the foreign market. Government’s support to farming to be able to produce more. If we want to grow oil palm, we need different policies on palm plantation farming but here, we have politicized agriculture in the country”.
The board Member of Tree Crop Development Authority of Ghana said “the government must involve farmers in every policy on farming. We need representatives from the farming groups to be on boards. If the government is setting up boards for farmers, we must be involved so that we can make inputs but because some farmers do not speak English, we are marginalized”.
“Those technocrats who sit at the ministries do not farm. We the farmers do the farming. The government should increase board members who have knowledge in farming. Our boards are now political boards, so Issues are discussed at the political meetings and then are brought to a board meeting. So, when the agenda is tabled, those on the board who are not politicians do not have a say but if the agenda is such to promote farming in the interest of the state, farmers and industry players, it will develop farming and encourage the youth to enter into farming. The board chairman must be from the industry who could have direct impact from the people”, he explained.
Solving unemployment
Commenting on how farming could solve the unemployment challenges in the country, Mr. Commey said “Oro Oil Ghana Limited employs over 300 workers and could employ more if the needed environment is created”.
“Unemployment issues are not solved by the government. The government only creates an enabling environment for the private sector to create jobs. Every developed nation with about 10% or 15% of the workforce, only 1% would that of the government sector. It is the private sector that create jobs. But in Ghana, our employment discussions have been politicized and leave them for the private sector with the support of the government, there would be massive employment so that unemployment would not be a topic”.
He added that “oil palm plantation and oil palm alone can employ millions of Ghanaians but some of the industries are not known by the government”.
Youth into agriculture
Politicians are not making farming attractive to the youth because we have politicized farming.
Government must bring policies that would encourage and motivate the youth to enter into farming and with they should sit with us for us to mentor the youth because politicians cannot mentor the youth. We shall teach them self-employed.
Youth for employment, youth in agriculture, youth is farming and planting for food and jobs are all fantasy.
Those who can do farming effectively are those who start from their youthful age and not old age. Today, when you go to our villages, you see these elderly men and woman who go to farms because all the youth have moved into the cities in search of non-exiting jobs. It is because politicians have created an enabling environment for farming to be politicized but today, if the government would give these fresh graduates to us to work with in palm nut plantation, we can employ a teaming number of them because they would be involved in planting, harvesting, right to the final consumer.
The only thing is for the government to wean itself from using the youth into politics farming. Now the planting for food and jobs has not yielded the needed results. The only we see is their vehicles moving and not because it is creating employment opportunities because the programme has a duration instead of sustainable employment.
Advice to the youth
We urged the youth not to look at the politicians. They should rise up and do something for themselves. They should start from the small way for it to be mighty.
They should start from zero. Do it like a passion form and gradually, they would gain.
The youth should stop moving from offices with their CVs and start something because they would become the managers of themselves.
Policies
So if the government is coming up with any decision or policy, we should be the first people to contact.
We refuse to speak up because of victimization and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), the National Security will all come after you because you have spoken the truth that may not sit well with the ruling government, meanwhile may be what you said would help the nation but because it may not be the interest of the government of the day, you have keep quiet.
So if those of us who are into the industry are being brought into the decision-making board so that we shall collaborate with them, there would be not unemployment.
Trust in business
Mr. Commey said he has worked with a business partner for years, but the partner does not know his house due to the trust the partner developed in him.
“It is the major key to success in life. I don’t have a degree or masters. I only have Teacher Trainee Certificate a but the major success that I have achieved is not about certificate, it’s as a result of honest”.
He said “the one who invested in my company. One of the major investors who came on board with me and since then, we don’t have any documentation to that regard. He is a Nigerian. He trusted me. So, he said Maxwell, you are an honest person and secondly, you are a hardworking person, so I want to invest in your company as a seed money”.
Mr. Commey said “I even thought he was going to say we should sign documentations, or I should bring collateral but nothing of this sort happened and till date, there is nothing like that. The only thing we do it to ensure I supply the oil that I produce to him”.
“He doesn’t know my house in Ghana. He has never visited me before, but the ones told me it is difficult to find such an honest person in the world”.
