<<Print>>

A local consortium specialising in providing solutions and supplies in the basic necessities of life, Eco Technologies and Community Infrastructure Group (ETIC Group Ghana), is to set up a state-of-the-art factory in Ghana to manufacture prefab steel for the real estate industry. The US$10-million plant is expected to automatically generate quantity survey reports from architectural drawings within hours, then cut and bind the right steel type and sizes to requirement for construction works. The Chief Executive Officer of ETIC, Ghana, Mr John Komlan Gbenyedzi, told journalists at a press conference in Accra last Friday announcing the project that the plant would facilitate the speedy delivery of steel works, an aspect of construction that consumed a lot of time and cost. He said the local company would partner with the technology owner, the Spanish Grup Amangue, to apply its modern technology to add value to the real estate industry, not only in Ghana, but also the West Africa sub-region. �The technology � Ferrallats Amangue � is fast and of good quality. Our presence in Ghana will, therefore, help the real estate industry to cut cost and time,� Mr Gbenyedzi said. Ghana is said to have a housing deficit of up to one million but little effort is being made to close the gap. Although the private sector is playing an active role, most of their end products are meant for the up market and not affordable housing where much of the deficit exists. Asked whether the Ferrallats Amangue technology and factory would not collapse the local artisanal steel bending industry, he said the consortium would work in collaboration with them to build their capacity, group them into associations and rely on them to receive jobs from the industry. �That way, with good pricing to be set by the company in consultation with them, the artisans would be able to deliver better quality jobs in time to their clients,� he said. Mr Gbenyedzi explained that for the next couple of years, the company would take orders from the local industry as well as from companies in the sub-region for manufacturing in the factory in Spain and re-import them into the country. �The decision to adopt Ghana as an entry point to the African real estate market is mainly due to the stable political climate and conducive business environment,� Mr Gbenyedzi stated. The factory, when completed, is expected to employ about 200 Ghanaians directly. But would offer last-mile employment to thousands of artisans across the country, as it would enable them to deliver jobs cheaper and speedily to their clients. ETIC is an aggregation of three companies � Soicom, which specialises in trade finance; SBA Capital Initiative, a real estate player, and Rowing Consult, a structural engineering company. The consortium, which uses public, private partnership (PPP) as a model of delivery, does value chain supplies of equipment and management in transport, food, housing, health, energy and clothing.