Ministry to adopt three-prong plan

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chamber (fin)

Story: Boahene Asamoah & Ayisha Dah

THE Minister of Trade, Industry, Private Sector Development and President’s Special Initiatives (PSI), Papa Owusu Ankomah, has outlined a three-pronged approach his ministry would undertake during the last six months of the government’s administration of the economy.
These are, to improve domestic trade, rationalise tariffs and improve the marketing of agricultural products.
Speaking during a meeting with executive members of the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Accra yesterday, the minister underscored the importance of these strategies to ensure the development of trade and industry in the country.
He said there was the need to improve domestic trade to ensure the development of local capacities that would develop local quality products capable of competing on the international market.
Mr Owusu-Ankomah stated that some of the policies would address the issues that affected domestic trade, such as infrastructure and other services, in order to push the industry further.
On the rationalisation of tariffs, the minister indicated that presently there were no proper procedures on tariffs and to that end, he stated that a national tariff board had been proposed to review all tariffs to ensure their effectiveness.
Mr Owusu-Ankomah mentioned for instance, the imposition of tariffs on tomato paste by the government only for the government to realise that the country lacked the capacity to produce tomato pastes to meet the local demand.
Touching on the marketing of local products, the minister stated that there was the need for a conscious attempt to market agricultural products in the country.
He called on members of the chamber to make their concerns known through the association for onward submission to the government for appropriate action.
The minister suggested a meeting with the members of the Chamber, the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) and the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) to brainstorm on some of the challenges that faced the private sector.
The President of the GNCCI, Mr Wilson Atta Krofah, said the chamber had undertaken a campaign to create the needed awareness through a road show on major cities in the country on the need to patronise made-in-Ghana products.
He said members of the chamber were also going through skills training in management and entrepreneurship with a university in Israel and appealed to the government to support the chamber in that area.
Mr Krofah added that the chamber together with the Business Sector Advocacy Challenge (BUSAC) Fund were imparting advocacy skills to its members nationwide to equip them with the skills of business advocacy.
The president stated that the chamber again was spearheading the re-introduction of the West African Chamber of Commerce to deepen trade relations between member countries of ECOWAS.