Stop foreigners from importing not locals – GUTA

daniel russell

July 24, 2015 11:45 AM

According to GUTA government and the Ghana Investment Promotion Council (GIPC) are solely responsible for the high imports into the country.

President of the Ghana Union of Traders Association, George Kweku-Ofori

The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) has taken a swipe at the Finance Minister, Seth Tekper over his request for an increase in exports.

Finance Minister Seth Terkper in presenting the 2015 mid – year budget review said a key reason for the pressure on the value of the cedi is the excessive preference for imports and weak support mechanism for exporters and called on the GIPC to put more emphasis on incentives for exporters.

According to Seth Terkper government will encourage private sector institutions such as GUTA, GNCC and AGI to evolve programmes that will promote exports among their members.

But reacting to the call the president of the Ghana Union of Traders Association, George Kweku-Ofori said government should rather put in measures to prevent foreigners from engaging in huge imports and not target local businesses and individuals.

“If I hear people in authority saying that Ghanaians are more into imports than exports, I don’t understand them, have they created the enabling environment for the Ghanaian to take up the challenge or have they seen the need not to allow foreigners not to bring in the huge imports they bring in to which we are trying to run away from.”

He added that ‘foreigners have been allowed to bring in the huge imports and all manner of goods into the country taking over the jobs and taking back the foreign exchange back into their home countries, government and the GIPC have failed to put in the needed measures to help curb the menace,’ he said

Source: citifmonline.com

daniel russell