Ukaid, Kedan Inaugurates $1.2m Maize Processing Factory In Tumu

Kedan Ltd with the support of UKaid inaugurates a $1.2 million Maize Processing Factory in Tumu in the Upper West region.

The factory - a 7000 metric tonnes per annum maize factory will produce maize flour, fortified maize flour, maize bran for local and West African Regional markets.

Kedan’s processing equipment and the factory was co-founded by UKaid’s West Africa Food Markets Program (WAFM), a project that co-invests innovative agribusiness to strengthen their smallholder supplier networks, national and regional markets.

The company, established in 2014, started as an agricultural production, commodity aggregation and trading business.

With time, the company has ventured into processing and now supports over 1,500 smallholder farmers in the Northern Ghana with farm inputs, tractor services, training and extension services to increase the volumes of raw maize produced.

At full operation, the factory will provide over 50 direct jobs and also give over 50 part-time jobs as well. The collaboration will benefit over 2000 smallholder maize farmers as the factory will also serve as a ready, reliable and sustainable market source for the maize produced by smallholder farmer in the Northern parts of Ghana.

CEO of Kedan Limited, Eric Kissi recounted the partnership between his company and the WAFM that has culminated in the launch of a new maize processing factory.

According to him, “the factory set up is a 50/50 collaboration between Kedan Limited and DFID/UKaid funded WAFM. The factory is currently operational and also producing fortified maize flour to curb malnutrition among the vulnerable population in Ghana, Burkina Faso, Niger and Nigeria.”

The increased maize production and value addition undertaken by Kedan in collaboration with WAFM will improve food security and income levels of farmers and consumers in the Sahelian as well as other countries in West Africa.

Team leader of the WAFM, Dr. Terrence Lacey, has stated that WAFM supported the setting up and expansion of the Kedan maize milling operation “to boost cross-border trade in processed and fortified maize products especially to Burkina Faso, Niger and Nigeria, bringing revenue to Ghana’s economy as well as helping to combat regional food security the ECOWAS region especially in South-East Niger and North-East Nigeria.”

According to Dr. Lacey, the launch of the maize factory places Ghana in a unique position especially when “Ghana is now helping to present alternative at ECOWAS level about international emergency food aid shipments by opening up new commercial markets whereby West African farmers and firms can supply alternative food products to address food shortages which are in line with the government of Ghana Policy of moving beyond international aid to promote private sector-led regional agricultural development.”

About WAFM
The West Africa Food Markets Program (WAFM), funded by UKaid and implemented by Palladium Group, aims to get more staple food in regional markets to foster prosperity and security.

The project focuses on four important staple crops being Maize, Cassava, Millet and Sorghum which are produced and traded among two important trade corridors involving four countries in West Africa which are the Ghana-Burkina Faso Corridor and Nigeria-Niger Corridor.