Set Up Regional Shopping Malls �

The Founder and Leader of the Holy Universal Mission Church at Sokoban in Kumasi, Prophet Gabriel Ntim, has suggested to the government to consider the establishment of regional shopping malls to control prices of basic goods, in order to lessen the burden on the ordinary consumers. Prophet Ntim says state-owned shopping malls across the ten regional capitals will afford consumers the choice to switch from the more expensive privately-owned malls to a subsidized public one, where prices can be affordable. According to him, though the decision by the government not to interfere with businesses by allowing private groups and individuals to engage in direct provision of goods and services is commendable, but the policy brings untold hardship to the ordinary consumer in the long run. Prophet Ntim observed that a mid-way approach could be possible, whereby government will own a stake in businesses that provide basic consumables that will ensure that Ghanaians are not exploited by private entities. He cited a situation whereby multinationals own shopping malls and dictate prices of goods at their own accord, without any means of control. �Unlike privatization, which is profit-oriented, state-owned assets will be geared towards a social and collective objective of all citizenry,� he emphasized. Prophet Ntim further indicated that apart from ensuring that goods are sold at minimal and affordable prices, it will also create employment for the teeming youth, who have no jobs and are worried after they leave school. The Head of the Holy Universal Mission Church further noted that a democratically elected government should be accountable to the people and must the motivated at safeguarding the assets of the nation. He, therefore, warned that over-privatisation will be detrimental to the country�s economy and create a situation where only the rich will continue to survive at the expense of the majority poor. Prophet Ntim emphasized that certain public sector goods and services such as law enforcement, basic health care and basic education should remain primarily in the hands of the government in order to ensure that everyone in the society has access to them.