Trade & Industry Minister Inaugurates Task Force On Seizure Of Pirated Ghanaian Textile Designs

A reconstituted Task Force on the Seizure of Pirated Ghanaian Textile Designs was, on Friday, inaugurated in Accra.

The 16-member Task Force has Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mr Samuel Naa Musah, as Chairman while Mr Appiah Doryimu, a former Chairman of the Task Force, is to ensure the preservation of institutional memory by serving as an advisor to the Task Force.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Harruna Iddissu, the out-going Minister for Trade and Industry, noted that trade in pirated textile designs and trademarks of Ghanaian companies had assumed national importance because of the its adverse effects on the textile industry.

He disclosed that as a result of piracy, the contribution of the textile industry to employment in Ghana had dwindled systematically from 30,000 in the 1980s and early 1990s to 3,000,

He said government will reward informants who provided leads for the arrest of the barons behind the piracy of Ghanaian textile designs.

Mr. Iddrisu gave the assurance that the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) would be strengthened to be able to effectively check the infiltration of pirated goods at the borders.

He also pledged the preparedness of government to engage the Chinese authorities in Ghana to help restrain their citizens from engaging in the piracy of Ghanaian textile designs.

He cautioned members of the Task Force against high-handedness and urged them to perform the task assigned them with civility and decorum. “Market women should not be subjected to any dehumanising treatment and the exercise should not lead to chaos,” Mr Iddrisu added.

Source: ISD