The Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr. Ekow Spio-Garbrah says persuasion and appeal to the national pride, will culminate in achieving the objectives of the made in Ghana campaign.
Though the Minister admits the 23 priority products will face competition from imported ones, he is confident an appeal to Ghanaians will increase patronage.
“All the products that we have will definitely have imported ones as substitutes. But the Made In Ghana policy is primarily about persuasion, encouragement and an appeal to our national pride and sense of patriotism,” he stressed.
A Consultant to the Governor, Franklyn Belnye had suggested that banning the importation of some goods as a remedy to solve the country’s forex exchange challenges may not suffice as a pragmatic solution.
According to him, Ghana risks similar reactions from other countries if such policies are not carefully applied.
But reacting to this, Dr. Spio Garbrah opined that government would not consider banning any of the imported substitutes for Ghana’s top priority products in its campaign.
“None of the imported products for the priority commodities are being banned; we are just asking Ghanaians to consume their own.”
Government has since 2013, intensified its campaign to increase patronage of locally manufactured goods in a bid to increase production and reduce imports.
A new policy on the Made in Ghana campaign has been completed as part of efforts to push the agenda for the Made in Ghana campaign.
Speaking at the launch of the new policy, Dr. Ekow Spio Garbrah was highly optimistic Ghanaians will ultimately share in the idea for government to achieve its set targets.
“America decided to flood Japanese markets with their rice but the Japanese never banned them rather expressed their disapproval by not patronizing the products from the US. I believe Ghana too can follow suit with the path that we are taking as a Ministry and campaign committee,” he observed.
Top priority areas
The top priority areas for the made in Ghana campaign are; poultry products, textile and garments, cement, roofing sheets, furniture, pharmaceutical, printing, steel products, processed foods, sugar, vegetable oil and fruit juice. Other are; rice, biscuits, paint, shoes, flour, electric cables and related products, ceiling materials, tilapia, plywood and lumber, tomatoes and cosmetic products.
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