Patronise made-in-Ghana products with pride – KT Hammond

The Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr K. T. Hammond, has urged Ghanaians to patronise Made-in-Ghana products and services, with a sense of pride and patriotism.

This, he said, could be achieved by supporting local businesses and artisans, investing in the local economy, and strengthening as well as preserving the productive sectors for future generations.

Mr Hammond was speaking at the opening of the 3rd Made- in- Ghana Bazaar in Accra on Thursday on the theme, “Promoting Made in Ghana Goods and Services for Economic Prosperity.”

According to him, the Bazaar showcased the rich and diverse range of quality products and other expressions of Ghanaian creativity and innovation, and craftsmanship.

Similarly, he described the event as a complement to the multiplicity of ongoing efforts by the government to boost domestic consumption of products made in Ghana to spur on local production and strengthen trade competitiveness and enterprise.

The government through the Ministry of Trade and Industry, since 2017, Mr Hammond noted, had worked closely with the private sector to boost production in the industrial sector and expand market access, especially in sectors linking to the process of raw materials.

Additionally, he said his outfit had pursued within the context of a comprehensive Industrial Transformation Agenda, which prioritised import substitution and export diversification as its twin objectives.

Mr Hammond explained that the challenges faced by Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) had implications for job creation, and the sustainability of livelihoods of youth and women.

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ms Mavis Nkasah-Boadu, said the Ministry had been executing its economic diplomacy agenda together through diplomatic missions abroad, and partner institutions by assisting Ghanaian businesses obtain access to foreign markets for their goods and services.

Furthermore, she said the Ministry and its missions abroad also provided trade and consular advice services to Ghanaian businesses and had facilitated the resolution of trade misunderstanding and conflicts between Ghanaian businesses and their foreign partners.

The Ministry, she said, would continue to work together with its partners to identify more markets for Ghanaian products and services, adding that data complied on exhibitors would be circulated to diplomatic missions abroad to help in the identification and expansion of markets.

The General Manager of Special Projects Partnerships and Investor Relations of Ghana Commercial Bank, Mr George Boakye, underscored the need to enhance domestic production, as well as “standardization and certification through technology and innovation.”

BY PRECIOUS NYARKO BOAKYE