TAMALE TO BECOME INDUSTRIAL METROPOLIS (PAGE 20)

THE Tamale Industrial Area is the beehive of all industrial activities in the Northern Region.
The area, which occupies a large chunk of land, is located at Lamashegu, a suburb along the Tamale-Kumasi main road. It is the melting point of both large and small-scale industries.
Among the companies that are sited in the area are the Bosbel Vegetable Oil Mills, Ghana Cotton Company, Ghacem and Japan Motors.
It is also a home to a large concentration of artisans and craftsmen of varied trades. Their handiwork include the manufacture of articulated 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 and straighteners.
It is a delight to observe the activities of the hundreds of artisans who converge on that part of the metropolis daily to use their various skills to irk out a living and also acquire some expertise. They range from the well-established proprietors (masters) who owe their own shops and firms to apprentices and squatters who avail themselves of every opportunity just to also acquire some skills.
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, the social amenities there are nothing to write home about.
Facilities such as public places of convenience, bath rooms, motorable roads and drains are woefully lacking. It is heart-warming however, that the major trunk road linking motorists to the area has now been worked on. It is hoped that the internal road network would 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, Mr Afah Ibrahim Gbangbah, popularly known as ‘‘Blue Boy”, said ‘‘in spite of our willingness to continue with our trade, we are bedevilled with 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) that established its branch in the metropolis a couple of years ago to cater for the entire northern sector of the country, would turn its attention to the area and assist their members to grow after concentrating on the southern sector over the years.
According to most of the artisans the Daily Graphic spoke to, 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 on 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 northern Ghana is the reflection of the frustrations of the large army of unemployed youth that further gives credence to the fact that, the devil finds work for the idle hands.
With the necessary support and push, Tamale could experience an industrial growth that could lead to a boost in economic and business activities not only in the metropolis, but also the entire northern sector, to impact significantly on the quality of life of the people.