Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, has disclosed that the Komenda Sugar Factory has been disconnected from the national power grid by the Electricity Company of Ghana and from water supply by the Ghana Water Company Limited due to unpaid utility bills.
In addition to infrastructure setbacks, the facility is said to have accumulated significant debt, further complicating efforts to revive operations.
Answering questions on the floor of Parliament on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, the Minister said the factory’s strategic value has been undermined by limited capital investment, inadequate maintenance, deteriorating infrastructure, and persistent supply-side challenges.
She further revealed that, given the importance the government attaches to the factory, the Ministry has prioritised the engagement of a Transaction Advisor to package the factory and secure a strategic investor to operationalise the factory and farms in the 2026 budget.
She assured that the unpaid utility bills will be settled once the transactional adviser and the private investor take over.
“As I indicated earlier, the factory has accumulated electricity bills that are worrisome. I inherited the same when I took office last year. When we have the transactional adviser and we have the private sector operator, it will be part of the cost for the plant so all of that will be taken care of.
“So, I can assure the Minister for Energy that even when we bring the plant on stream, the inherited debt relative to the electricity bill will be sorted,” she noted.
Since its commissioning in 2016, the machinery and equipment of the factory have not undergone major refurbishment.
The Komenda Sugar Factory, commissioned in 2016 as part of Ghana’s broader vision to establish self-sustaining agro-industrial zones, continues to face significant operational challenges nearly a decade after its inauguration.
Constructed as a strategic national asset, the factory was designed with the capacity to process 1,250 metric tonnes of sugarcane per day and produce between 112 and 150 metric tonnes of refined sugar daily.
At full capacity, it was projected to create up to 80,000 direct and indirect jobs while serving as a socio-economic hub for Komenda in the Central Region and contributing substantially to Ghana’s industrial transformation agenda.
Despite its vast potential, technical and operational deficiencies have prevented the facility from operating at optimal levels.
Critical components, including generators and motors, require urgent maintenance, while the boiler’s top coil needs replacement to restore full functionality.
A major obstacle to full operationalisation remains the shortage of raw materials.
The farming communities expected to supply sugarcane have reportedly become disengaged, citing a lack of institutional backing and unclear procurement arrangements.
