Chief Executive Officer of the Importers and Exporters Association, Sampson Asakey has called on President Mahama to “call the Transport Minister to order”.
Their call comes in the wake of the Ghana Conformity Assessment Program (GCAP) which is due to be implemented.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry who gave Ghana Standards Authority the all clear to commence had to suspend it last year to allow more time for further engagement with all stakeholders after strong opposition from the 8 member Joint Consultative Committee of stakeholders from the Private Sector.
G-CAP is a conformity assessment process used to verify that products imported into Ghana meet the necessary standards at the manufacturing country of origin.
The program is expected to prevent the importation of substandard and fake products onto the Ghanaian market.
The President however gave directive that the program be put to on hold since the importers and exporters threatened to embark on a demonstration if it is implemented.
But the Minister of Transport, Dzifa Ativor in an interview with JoyNews said the implimentation of GCAP will commenced in April. However, Mr. Asakey on Asempa FM Wednesday said the Minister of Transport has no right defy the President’s directives that it should be put on hold.
According to him, they deal directly to the Ministry of Trade and Industry and not the Ministry of Transport.
“The Minister of Transport should have respected us .She is there to serve the people of Ghana and not the other way round. We are not against the program but we need to give alternatives as an association and talk to our people before any commencement can begin".
“We will petition the president in the coming days and if he confirms the commencement, then we will be left with no option than to hit the streets” he warned.
Mr. Asaki said they would resist any attempt to implement the G-CAP as it will only add to the unnecessary delay in the importation of their goods into the country as well as increasing cost of doing business.
<<Print>>