Ghana Agro-Food Company Ltd. (GAFCO)

Product Pictures

Agriculture

Tema, Ghana

The mother company of GAFCO Industrie-Bau Nord AG (IBN), conceived a new design for integrated agricultural processing complexes in developing countries in the late 1950's. This integrated strategy was illustrated in the engineering designs and feasibility studies prepared in 1962 for a "Tema Food Complex" in Ghana: The complex was designed to integrate several agricultural processing facilities. The plans necessitated that a wheat mill, an oil mill, a cocoa plant and an animal feed mill be housed within its borders.

Through the efficient use of by-products and both forward and backward integration, the former Tema Food Complex was intended to play an important role in the provision of basic food products to the citizens of Ghana. It was not until Ghana initiated a privatisation programme as part of a free market-based economic reform package that IBN was able to gain control over the former Tema Food Complex.

In January 1995, an extensive rehabilitation programme was immediately started. In addition to submitting the highest performing bid to purchase the former Tema Food Complex, IBN's bid was accepted for the following reasons:

IBN's strategy for the redevelopment of the debilitated complex into an integrated agricultural processing center, thus fulfilling nearly its original purpose;

IBN's long term strategy to expand the integration has the potential to revitalize the Ghanaian agro industrial sector;

IBN's commitment to develop the agricultural sector of Ghana along the positive economic and social benefits of IBN's plan;

IBN's unique position to realize these goals due to the act that it originally designed the complex and developed the integrated strategy;

and IBN's expertise in agro-industrial engineering, production and marketing in developing countries.

GAFCO's history is reflected in the brand name and the symbol found on all GAFCO's products: the Sankofa bird. The Sankofa bird is a mystical character from Ghanaian history that looks back to pick up what it has left behind.

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