Business community will go on strike tomorrow

The business community will go on strike tomorrow against the proposed implementation of the Ghana Conformity Assessment Programme (G-CAP) and the Advance Shipment Information.  

A statement released by the Joint Private Sector Consultative Business Forum said, as a first step, all businesses and industry in the Greater Accra Region would be closed to the public, while members congregate at the offices of the Ghana Union of Traders Association in red attire.  

The members of the Joint Private Sector Consultative Business Forum are made up of the Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ghana Automobile Dealers Association, Food and Beverages Association of Ghana, and the Ghana Union of Traders Association.

The rest are; Importers and Exporters Association, Ghana Pharmaceutical Chamber, Association of Ghana Industries, Customs Brokers Association of Ghana and Freight Forwarders Association of Ghana. 

The Ghana Standards Authority and the Food and Drugs Authority had for some months now been engaged in a business tussle over the implementation of  G-CAP, which the business community believes is a duplication of many other existing taxes. Subsequently, the businesses believe its implementation would aggravate the already harsh conditions they are facing.    

The Ministry of Trade and Industry has appealed to the various business associations in the country to rescind their decision to embark on a joint strike tomorrow. 
The Ministry in a statement said it recognises and appreciates some of the challenges businesses are going through at the moment “but wishes to appeal to the various associations not to aggravate the country’s economic situation by withdrawing their commercial services from customers, suppliers and business stakeholders who have caused them no harm”.  

It said the Ministry of Trade and Industry has already taken steps to address most of their concerns. 

It says the associations are aware of the leadership role MOTI is taking to fight for the reduction in interest rate, to decongest the harbour by reducing the number of operators there, as well as promote Made-in-Ghana goods so as to increase the demand for local production and to strengthen employment. 

The Ministry, according to the statement, has also suspended the implementation of the G-CAP to allow for deeper consultation with stakeholders. 

It also said the decision of the business associations to go on strike could be misconstrued to mean a disappointment with the success of the IMF negotiations and an effort organised to undermine the national economy.  

The Ministry of Trade and Industry has therefore appealed to the various commercial and industry groups to use all available channels of negotiations with relevant government agencies, rather than take actions that will reduce Ghana’s GDP growth, cause unemployment, dislocate various business and industry value chains and worsen Ghana’s economic prospects.

GNA