Amanest Company Limited, an indigenous bamboo processing company, is set to commission a $1million bamboo processing factory at Assin-Hasowodze, a predominant bamboo growing area in the Assin South District, in March this year. The factory will produce toothpick, cotton swap, plywood, khebab sticks, cocktail sticks, dowel sticks, tongue press, coffee stir stick, skewers, and ply-rolls. Sitting on a two-acre land, the biggest bamboo processing factory in the Central Region will produce 2,000 kilogrammes of processed bamboo daily and 730 kilogrammes annually. The factory will create 300 direct jobs and 3,500 direct and indirect jobs by 2026. It has state-of-the-arts machines to deliver high-quality specifications for its established local and international market clients. Besides the company's acres of bamboo farms, it has empowered more than 50 out-growers as part of its corporate social responsibility to expand and sustain raw materials for all year-round production. Mr Eric Amanquanor, the Chief Execu tive Officer of Amanex Company Limited, said construction started in December with a strong commitment to complete by late February for furnishing and test run. The company, he noted was versioned to explore the abundant Bamboo resources in the area that had been long used in construction works, furniture making and charcoal burning, for development. The bamboo industry is a key component of the non-traditional exports sector of the country's economy. 'The country's heavily dependence on imports has partly been blamed for its economic woes. Ghanaians import everything from onions from neighbouring countries to toothpicks from China. This situation has had serious repercussions on the foreign exchange market and denied many Ghanaians the opportunity of employment. Following renewed calls to Ghanaians to embrace manufacturing as one of the ways to cut down the dependence on scarce foreign exchange, Mr Amanquanor said his factory would produce enough to reduce the country's heavy dependence on imports. He urged Ghanaians to embrace the products from Ghana to allow the company to expand and employ more people throughout the country. 'We will keep to high standards at cheaper prices to meet the pockets of all, and we hope companies and individuals will patronise what we have,' he said. He admonished the community to demonstrate unity, love, and peace towards the project to bring prosperity and development. 'Remember, the company has come to relief the burden of hardship and unemployment problem in the community and its environments. Support us to progress together,' he urged the residents. In a separate interview, Nana Kweku Armah VI, the Chief of Assin-Hasowodze and some residents were grateful to the company for choosing the community saying it would significantly ease the unemployment challenges among the youth. 'I have been lobbying for many projects for my community since I became the Chief in 2018. And now, a Bamboo Processing factory during my regime is under construction. We are happy about it. 'Pa rticularly, I'm happy for the promising youth who appear helpless and jobless. This is a big relief for mutual gain,' he said. Source: Ghana News Agency