Trade Minister vindicates business community-Awuni

Mr John Awuni, Corporate Affairs Director of the Finatrade Group of Companies, has hinted that Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, Minister of Trade and industry has vindicated the business community about their complaints.

"He also had cause to complain about the duplications that exist in various agencies at the entry and exit points of the country."

Mr Awuni who said this in a release in Accra and copied to Ghana News Agency said those revelations came up when the Minister held a familiarisation meeting with members of the business community in Accra.

Describing the meeting as cordial and frank, Mr Awuni said the Trade Minister after listening keenly to both the agencies and the business community, suggested that things would be streamlined, an indication that duplications really exist at the entry points.

Mr Awuni therefore called for the cancellation of the Ghana Conformity Assessment Programme (G-CAP), which implementation was suspended months ago owing to teething problems between the agencies and the business community.

The Corporate Affairs Director said Ghana is rated higher in the world market than countries such as Nigeria, Burundi, Kenya, Algeria, Egypt and Ethiopia that are practising the counterpart G-CAP programmes and wondered what benefits it would bring on board.

Mr Awuni called on the Minister to set up a fact finding committee that would check all duplications to make trade and industry to thrive and create jobs for the teeming youth.

"It is after a cursory check and elimination of the duplications that would enable government to reap the necessary revenue and pave way for businesses to…triumph in the country," he added.

He said the Minister's acknowledgement that things would be streamlined indicates that there are complexities in the tax system that are stifling business and expressed the hope that immediate steps would be taken to reverse the trend.

Source: GNA