Dias Branco group of companies, a leading biscuit and pasta manufacturing companies in Brazil, is to set up an over $300 million biscuit and pasta factory in Ghana that will create about one thousand jobs for Ghanaians.
The management of Dias Branco is expected in Ghana in May this year to conclude agreements on the modalities in establishing their only company in Africa in Ghana.
Vice-president John Dramani Mahama, who is on a 4-day official visit to Brazil, was able to convince the management of Dias Branco to invest in Ghana as against their original plan to invest in Angola, a Portuguese speaking sister nation in Africa.
Mr. Mahama, who was accompanied by the Minister of Agriculture, Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Ghana’s Ambassador to Brazil and Brazilian Ambassador to Ghana, Messrs. Kwesi Ahwoi, Seth Terkper, Samuel Kofi Dadey and respectively, toured the company’s facilities at Fortaleza in Brazil to acquaint himself with the production of the company.
Other members of the delegation were the Brazilian Ambassador to Ghana H.E Luis Fernando de Andrade Sera, Member of Parliament for Krachi West, Francis Safo, Chief Director in the office of the Vice President, Roger Angsomwine and Michael Obuobi, a Presidential Aide in the office of the Vice President.
Conducting the vice-president and his entourage around the facilities, the Chief Executive Officer of the company Francisco Ivens de Sa Dias Branco said the company was currently the leading company in the manufacture, sales and distribution of crackers, cookies and pasta products in Brazil.
In addition, it offers wheat flour and wholegrain wheat, margarine and vegetable shortening and also produced the majority of two of the principal raw materials for its crackers, cookies and pasta products
According to him the decision to invest in Ghana was based on Ghana’s credentials as a stable political and economy coupled with the good leadership style of President John Evans Atta Mills.
Mr. Branco admitted that the statesmanship and astuteness of Vice-President Mahama further gave them the courage to change their original plan to invest in Angola.
For his part, Mr. Mahama assured Mr. Branco and his group of Ghana’s readiness to welcome the company as it invests in the country.
He described Ghana as the gateway to Africa and that with the rest of the West Africa sub-region’s total population of over 240 million people, there was a guaranteed market for its products.
Mr. Mahama noted that the government of President Mills is to ensure that companies investing in Ghana would derive the maximum benefit in return for their investment.
He said this investment would eventually help to solving the employment needs of Ghana as majority of the workforce would be Ghanaians, particularly the youth.
In another development Vice-president Mahama, met members of the business community, one of the biggest association of business people and industrialists in Brazil in Ceara in a forum.
He assured the businessmen and the industrialists of Ceara that Ghanaian cashew farmers were ready to produce to meet the demands of the Brazilian market for cashew.
Mr. Mahama said what Ghana needed for the take-off was infrastructural development to enable cashew farmers to produce more to meet the new emerging market.
He assured them of Ghana government’s commitment to creating enabling environment such as tax and other incentives to make their operation in Ghana a reality.
The businessmen on their part pledged to invest in Ghana, especially in the cashew business by establishing a factory to process the crop to create ready market for the Ghanaian cashew farmers.
The asked for government commitment to offering them the necessary incentives to encourage more Brazilians to invest in Ghana.
Story: Wisdom Peter Awuku, Fortaleza-Brazil
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