Trade and Industry Minister Kobina Tahir-Hammond has downplayed suggestions that LI’s strategic products will provoke corruption in the department. The ministry hopes that this regulation will increase the value of CEDI and lead to the growth of local industry.
According to the proposed regulations, anyone wishing to import selected products will need permission from the Minister of Trade. But a minority in Congress says the regulation is bad policy that should be repealed immediately.
The World Trade Organization (WTO) frowns on such policies as they violate practice, the newspaper said. It also said import restrictions would accelerate inflation and worsen the hardship, as there are no substitutes available. He also expressed concern that if ministers are given New Patriotic Party powers, traders may not be able to obtain permits to import products without a relationship with the New Patriotic Party.
However, the Trade Minister said he believed there was no link between giving individuals permission to import certain products and corruption.
In an interview with joy newshe said, “How is the spirit going to line up that it’s going to lie in whose pocket? Are you scared that I won’t give it to you because you’re Evan Mensah? On the contrary. , you are afraid of it, what? Why am I corrupted by giving you a license or by not giving you a license?”
He explained that those who feel they have been abused have leeway to seek redress from the courts.
Mr Hammond also explained the provisions of the LI that require details of key officers, directors and partners of the company requiring an import license.
Please also read: Government submits bill to parliament to restrict imports of selected strategic products
He explained that this provision was important as the government was seeking to ensure that Ghanaians were among the top importing countries.
Mr Hammond, who also serves as MP for Adansi Asokwa, justified his claim by saying: “We don’t want to deal with faceless people. We want to deal with real people.”
The lawmaker added that the strategic product LI was born out of various consultations with multiple stakeholders.
“Stakeholders invited to the various consultations included the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), the Ghana Immigration Service, our representatives, the Food and Drugs Authority, the Bureau of Standards, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the Ghana Trades and Workers Union, the Ghana Industry Association, Export These include the Ghana Association, the Rice Farmers and Producers Association, the Poultry Farmers and Associations, the Institute of Statistics and Social Economics, and private sector stakeholders,” he told Evans-Mensah on Monday.
Please also read: Restricting imports of strategic products requires consultation with stakeholders on LI – Nana Akomea
The minister continued that after engagement, stakeholders recommended expanding the LI to cover more items, including diapers, pipes, steel, electrical wires and conductors.
Already, a minority in Congress has made a firm decision to oppose LI and has vowed to resist it.
Six business organizations also submitted a petition to Congress asking the House of Representatives to reject the import restriction bill. The Joint Business Consultative Forum Ghana (made up of bodies such as the Ghana Federation of Trade Associations (GUTA), the Food and Beverage Association of Ghana (FABAG), the Ghana Export and Import Association, the Ghana Freight Forwarders Association (GIFF), and the Chamber of Automotive Dealers CADEG) and the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI) have argued that the bill, if passed, will have a negative impact on business in their country.
The Sunday, Nov. 26 petition outlines concerns that the bill could negatively impact the price of goods, disrupt the free flow of goods and harm businesses.
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