News
Shama District gets rice factory
Inset: Mr. Jesse Prah (second left) assisting Mr. Darko-Mensah (3rd left) to inaugurate the rice factory
A rice processing plant, owned by Jesse Prah Enterprise at Anto, in the Shama District of the Western Region, has been inaugurated by SNV Ghana under the European Union (EU) GrEEn Project.
Sited on a two-acre land, the facility, producing ‘Roland Rice, is equipped with a rice mill, de-stoner, a rice de-husker, polisher and a pelletiser machine, also converts rice husk into feed for pigs.
It is expected to create jobs for youth in the Shama District and provide local rice growers access to a mill to improve rice production in the region.
As part of GrEEn project objectives of supporting green businesses and entrepreneurs, SNV Ghana rolled out the GrEEn Innovation Challenge in 2021, to award a matching grant of up to EUR 25,000 to small and medium scale businesses that have innovative products and services.
Key areas include agriculture, renewable energy and energy efficiency and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH).
Jesse Roland Prah Enterprise, a rice farmer, was among 12 SMEs in the Ashanti and Western regions, who received the matching grant of 25,000 Euros.
Additionally, it received six-month free business advisory support from SNV Ghana under the GrEEn Incubation Programme facilitated by Duapa Werkspace, a business hub in Takoradi.
Speaking at the ceremony last Friday, Senior Adviser, Incubation and Acceleration at SNV, Ms. Genevieve Parker-Twum, remarked “Jesse, has really done well. He took all that he was taught to good use. From EU, SNV Ghana, we say congratulations to Roland rice”.
Chief Executive, Jesse Prah Enterprise (Roland Enterprise), Roland Prah, said: “We have the finest and most nutritious rice in the country, and with this facility, production is going to increase. I want to encourage the youth to invest in agriculture.”
He expressed his gratitude to SNV Ghana and the EU for their support.
Western Regional Minister, Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, said government believed in production, and that, if the private sector was supported, it could go far.
From Clement Adzei Boye, Anto