The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) has called for a careful approach to the proposed import restriction Legislative Instrument (L.I) seeking to ban the import of 22 products.
The President of GUTA, Dr. Joseph Obeng, expressed concerns during an appearance before the Subsidiary Legislation Committee of Parliament.
Dr. Obeng emphasized the need for more information on the L.I, stating, “We have to move slowly while we are trying to achieve self-sufficiency and do the right things.
What is the threshold that qualifies a product to be restricted? Are we talking about 60 percent or 40 percent of production? We have not been given all this information.”
He urged authorities to provide comprehensive details on the criteria for product restriction, emphasizing that restricting imports without clear guidelines could hinder trading activities.
The minority in Parliament criticized the proposed L.I, describing it as a discredited and outdated licensing regime.
Deputy Minority Leader Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah raised concerns about the potential for corruption, stating, “You don't put politicians in charge of issuing licenses; you know what the outcome will be. We have gone past that.”
The Trade Minister, K.T Hammond, defended the move, citing examples such as the importation of animal parts and rice. He clarified, “By these restrictions, we are not going to ensure that there's no food in the country at all; that is not the point at all.
There have to be some efforts by the government to ensure that we go back to Acheampong's operation feed yourself. There are about 22 items on the list, one of them, I think, is diapers.”
