Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale
THE Tamale Industrial Area is the beehive of all industrial activities in the Northern Region.
The area is located at Lamashegu, a suburb along the Tamale-Kumasi Road. It is the melting pot of both large and small-scale industries.
Among the companies that are sited there are Nasia Rice, Bosbel Vegetable Oil Mills, the Ghana Cotton Company, Nulux Plantations, Ghacem and Japan Motors.
It is also home to a large concentration of artisans and craftsmen of varied trades.
Their handiwork includes the manufacture of articulator buckets, tractor trailers and ploughs, water pumps, corn thrashers and bullock ploughs. They also mould and sell various kinds of spare parts.
Other artisans are welders, sprayers, mechanics, straighteners, among many.
It is a delight to observe the activities of the hundreds of artisans who converge there daily to eke out a living and also acquire skills.
They range from the well-established proprietors (masters) who give their own shops and firms to apprentices and squatters who avail themselves of every opportunity just to earn a living.
It is, however, unfortunate that in spite of the hundreds of job opportunities that are being created at the industrial area, coupled with their significant contribution to the national economy, social amenities in the area are nothing to write home about.
Facilities such as places of convenience, bathrooms, motorable roads and drains are woefully lacking. It is heart- warming, however, that the major trunk road linking the area with other places is now being worked on. It is hoped that the internal road network will equally receive attention to facilitate the easy movement of persons and vehicles within the area, especially during the rainy season.
Also of concern to the artisans and craftsmen is the unavailability of credit facilities for the expansion of their businesses.
A 53-year-old welder, Afah Ibrahim Gbangbah, aka Blue Boy, said, “In spite of our willingness to continue with our trade, we are bedevilled by the lack of credit facilities to acquire more machines to expand, as a result of which our businesses have collapsed.”
It is hoped that the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) will turn its attention to the area and assist its members there to grow, after concentrating on the southern sector over the years.
According to most of the artisans the Daily Graphic spoke with, they would be very glad if they could be assisted in the form of both equipment and funds to expand their establishments and also open new ones to create more jobs to generate the needed wealth to improve their well-being.
They also called for refresher and capacity-building courses to empower them to improve on their lot.
The occasional disturbances that occur in the north is a reflection of the frustrations of the large army of unemployed youth, lending credence to the fact that the devil finds work for idle hands.
With the necessary support and push, Tamale can experience an industrial growth that can lead to a boost in economic and business activities in the metropolis to impact significantly on the quality of live of the people.
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