Nene Abraham Kabu Akuaku III, Paramount Chief of the Ada Traditional Area, has commended Electrochem Ghana Limited for the effective management and development of the Songor Salt site.

He said the lagoon was turning muddy after 40 years of deterioration, making salt production ineffective "but since the arrival of Electrochem Ghana the situation has changed. The former 'Valco Salt Project site has seen transformation within three months".

Nene Akuaku said this during a tour of the Songor Salt Development Project with leaders of the Ada Traditional Council, chiefs and opinion leaders of the various communities to get acquainted with developments around the 15-year leased Salt winning site.

Addressing the people at a mini durbar after the tour, the Paramount chief said what he and the leaders had seen was the true reflection of the many promises the company made when it first stepped on their Lagoon.

He, therefore, commended Mr Daniel McKorley, the Chief Executive Officer of MacDan Group of Companies and Chairman of Electrochem Ghana Limited, for the sudden change at the Songor site.

"Our checks also reveal that over 1,000 youths have been employed and salaries they receive are encouraging, which has never been so in previous administrations," he said.

"This is development, and we believe all hands must be on deck to ensure that this works," Nene Akuaku said.

The Paramount Chief described the Songor Salt Project as a big project that had the potential of changing the lives of the people, especially the youth, and called on the communities to support it.

He appealed to the management of the Electrochem Ghana Ltd to fulfil all their promises to enhance the development of Ada.

Electrochem Ghana Limited has come under intense pressure from some a section of residents over the 15-years lease agreement it has with the Government.

The aggrieved people suggest the Lagoon is large and should be given to multiple investors.

In order to put find solution to the impasse, the Paramount Chief and elders decided to embark on the tour to ascertain the truth.

Addressing the elders, Mr Mckorley said the major concern was to build wealth for the communities through jobs and employment opportunities.

He said the company had employed more than 1,000 youth within the first three months of operation and currently working on the community pans (portions of the lagoon where community members could mine salt), while it continued with the refurbishing and reengineering works on the Lagoon.

Mr Mckorley said ten pans had so far been completed and they would be given to the communities to operate.

He said the youth to mine in those pans would be able to mine over 500,000 bags of salt every year, which would be a great turnaround for those communities.