Day: November 22, 2023

The Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL) says it supports the creation of an economic and national development system that would hinge on a 24/7 economy, as proposed by former President John Dramani Mahama.

‘Our Federation is indeed elated by the former President Mahama’s assurance of implementing an economic policy that will revive collapsed industries and create more jobs.

‘In the 1970s up to the early 90s, a three-shift system operated in manufacturing industries in the country, which created employment for thousands of workers,’ Mr. Abraham Koomson, GFL Secretary General, stated in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency on the proposal by former President Mahama.

Mr. Koomson explained that unfortunately, systemic failures of the economic policies of governments took a toll on the thriving industries, resulting in massive layoffs of workers.

He revealed that some investors had relocated capital to other African countries where the business environment was favourable, creating massive unemployment in
the country.

‘That’s why we’re obliged as trade unions to embrace the proposed policy of reviving the three-shift system to create more jobs.

‘We believe once effective measures are enforced to deal with smuggling, pirating of locally manufactured products, and the removal of outrageous and nuisance taxes, the local industries will rebound to create jobs to fulfil the objectives of the 24/7 policy.

Mr. Koomson challenged political parties to come out with manifesto policies that would address the national economic challenges.

‘The era of political cheap promises is over. In Election 2024, labour unions will scrutinise the policies and proposals of political parties.

‘We would also monitor political pronouncements on campaign platforms and challenge parties to them. Labour unions would expose political parties that would come up with hallow proposals and support tangible ones’.

Mr. Koomson encouraged political parties to bring out policy proposals that focus on job creation in both the private and public
sectors and spell out measures to strengthen the nation’s economy.

He emphasised that the next government must promote revenue generation, job opportunities, and private sector development, reduce the cost of living, and eliminate taxes that hinder business growth, affecting small, medium, and large companies.

The Federation of Labour tasked the various labour unions to monitor sector by sector; the Ghana Medical Association must monitor political pronouncements on health; all unions and associations that relate to the education sector; and the federation will work with other labour associations and bodies to monitor the political campaign from a non-partisan point of view.

Mr. Koomson also called on civil society organisations, religious and traditional leaders, gender and youth groups, sports, and other allied groups to all set up a monitoring mechanism to examine political messages from a professional perspective and advise accordingly.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Richard Ekow Mensah, the Head of DEinternational Services and Key Account of the German Industry and Commerce in Ghana, has advised Ghanaian exporters to take advantage of the German market space to increase revenue.

He said the Ghanaian diaspora in Germany were more than 37,000, which was a huge platform for exporters in Ghana to tap into and increase revenue generation.

‘The Ghanaian diaspora in Germany also wants to eat and purchase Ghanaian foods and products, so if you are an exporter in Ghana, there is a huge potential,’ he added.

Mr Mensah said this during an interactive session organised by the Compete Ghana Programme on access to selected European markets.

The Programme is offering technical assistance to the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI) in the implementation of the stepping-stone Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and related accompanying measures, with funding from the European Union.

Mr Mensah urged exporters interested to do business within the German market space to visit the
Ghana Export Promotion Authority to be trained on the regulations, rules and policies as far as standardisation was concerned before exporting.

He encouraged Ghanaian exporters to always stick to the standards to expand their businesses to the European market in general.

‘Also, when you want to expand your reach to Germany, you should always look out for partnerships because for most exporters, sometimes they just limit themselves to a specific country but a buyer in Germany could have connections to other European markets,’ he added.

Mr Nicholas Gebara, Team Lead, Compete Ghana, said they had been training 40 companies on how to access the EU market under the EPA, with representatives from various embassies and bilateral chambers of commerce presenting the opportunities in their respective countries to the Ghanaian exporters.

‘We also invited the British High Commission as there is a big diaspora and lots of interest from the participants to export to the United Kingdom, where the standards and requireme
nts are similar,’ he added.

Mr Raffaele Quarto, Trade Counselor, EU Delegation in Ghana, said due to the EPA, Ghanaian exporters no longer faced duty or quota restrictions because of the negotiations in 2016 to give free access.

While in a united market space, there were 22 different languages representing 27 countries in the union, hence the need to consider this diversity, particularly with consumers with different approaches, languages and needs, he said.

Madam Priscilla Brookman-Amissah Impraim, the Chief Executive Officer, AB Ovo Confectionery Limited, said the Compete Ghana Programme was beneficial because the Ministry of Trade and Industry had selected 40 companies to assist them export their products to the EU.

She said the selected exporters had undergone a series of training courses to help them go through the main processes in trying to get the paperworks done and appealed to the EU to avoid stringent measures to facilitate the process.

Source: Ghana News Agency