The popular maxim in Ghana in the 1970s is "Soap politics is one thing, but beer politics is another thing, soap was scheduled for a beer in a secondary state, but inevitably at that time There was a shortage of supply Kwame Nkrumah Technical consultancy center (TCC) of the science and technology university (KNUST), one of the first customer group opened in January 1972 in Kumasi to receive guidance on soap manufacture A small soap factory.This project was transferred to Peter Donkor when joining the TCC in 1973. Imagine that his mission sweeps across Africa and talks to a multinational soap maker I could scarcely do anything.
In response to the client's request, the TCC established an expert committee to investigate the problem and formulated a plan for the pilot soap plant. Meanwhile, TCC established a small soap factory at the campus workshop and started training the soap maker. Early plants used electrical heating and the product was a laundry soap of 40 cm long bar like the general "key soap". Lever · Brothers · Ghana · Limited made it. It was Peter Donkor's first task to analyze the process and reduce variability.
After some advice from Indian experts, electric heating was abandoned and a new boiling tank with wood heating heating was introduced. Really appropriate technology for small scale soap manufacture was discovered soon and several private plants began to produce. These were very successful and soon exceeded the limited capacity of TCC, the demand for training and soap boiling tank supply soon exceeded. However, in 1975 the university opened Soap Pilot Plant in Kwamo village, 8 km from the Accra Road campus. This has expanded opportunities for both soap production and training. Most of the soaps produced at Kwamo were sold to college staff, students and employees on campus but the road to the local market including Kumasi's Kejetia, which is claimed to be the largest market in West Africa, There was much.
In the coming years Peter Donkol overseeed the establishment of over 50 small scale soap factories scattered in the southern half of Ghana. He asked for soap manufacturer training and was asked to set up a factory in Sierra Leone, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Mari and Malawi. But Peter's main concern was to improve the supply of raw materials so that there was not enough locally produced soap to satisfy the country's demand.
The main raw material used for Ghana's soap production is coconut oil. This was always missing. A slight improvement was achieved when the TCC introduced a locally manufactured extraction plant and many small farmers were able to convert palm fruits to oil and earn more income. Some farmers became soap manufacturers. We will further expand the chain of value added. Some people contracted with local soap producers to meet their raw material demand. Peter Donkor looked for alternative raw materials for soap manufacture and tried Nimes, Physical Nuts, Peanuts, Coconut Oil, Castor Oil, Shea Butter and Second Cocoa Butter in combination with various blends.
As soap needs caustic soda, it is also rare as it is imported. Peter Donkor worked with the chemist of KNUST to produce a plant that produces caustic soda from the acetylene plant and waste lime discarded from imported soda ash. As a result, foreign currency costs are reduced by half, and popularity has increased for small scale soap manufacturers. In the late 1970s, TCC 's in - campus plant construction division produced and sold a lot of palm oil, caustic soda and soap factories before the manufacture of these plants was handed over to the private sector.
The third important ingredient of soap is perfume. In the 1970s, this was also imported and it was very difficult to obtain in sufficient quantity. Using a small steam distillation plant based on the design of Guatemala, Peter experimented locally produced lemon grass and citronella. The result was good, but the raw material did not grow in an amount sufficient to satisfy the need. Here the problem ceased until the power of the big business made it a big push.
One day, astonishingly, the TCC director received a visit from Managing Director of Lever Brothers Ghana Ltd. MD is authorized to leave production from the UK headquarters to the local as far as possible It was the raw material that I explained that he was explained and he wanted to know what TCC should provide. So Peter Donkor talked about Neem, Castor Oil, Caustic Soda, Lemongrass. The giant departed to report to his collection at Tema. It is long before he comes back with another request. It seemed that everything depended on the fragrance.
Lever Brothers used neem oil to successfully produce soap in India. In Ghana, the marketing test failed because the Neem tree was grown nationwide and the oil could be produced on an industrial scale, but the scent of garlic style was not accepted, nor was it eliminated or hidden . However, Lever Brothers liked the idea of producing citronella and lemon grass perfumes in Ghana. They borrowed a TCC steam distillation plant and asked if they could test for 13 grasses that could be grown locally. This was agreed on condition that Peter Donkor was fully involved in the exam and had access to all results.
When the test was completed, Lever Brothers established a program to help local farmers cultivate licensed grass varieties and import industrial steam distillation plants. The engineering client of TCC also started production at the factory of Guatemala, and the small soap industry is ready for the product of the soap maker. The TCC often did not participate in large companies, but in this case the results were very satisfying. Peter Donkor helped establish the relationship of large and small which was a big advantage of both.
