A Salt-focused GIS for Ghana
Ghana launched a National Geographic Information Systems (GIS) yesterday in part to help grow its salt industry. Annual production of salt, some 250,000 metric tons, could be much higher, say officials, up to 2.5 to 3.0 million metric tons said officials. While inefficient production methods, obsolete machinery, and lack of capital are contributing factors, so is a lack of information on the land.
The Ministry for Trade, Industry, Private Sector Development and PSI with support from the Centre for Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Services and UNICEF, thus put together a GIS:
He [the minister] said the system, which would tap both unexploited and underexploited salt deposits, would be capable of providing one of the best quality salts for the people in the sub-region and beyond.
Benefits to be derived from the GIS include an information gateway for investors, a database for the salt industry, contours on producing areas in Ghana, detailed information on towns where there is salt and pictorial presentation on the salt industry in Ghana.
