Vice-President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has rallied Ghanaians to look out for goods produced in the country to boost local supply chains and help build a resilient economy.
She said patronising and supporting Made-in-Ghana goods would create more jobs, reduce imports and grow the economy.
Speaking during a working visit to the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, the Vice-President recalled earlier efforts to promote Made-in-Ghana rice, and called for a return to strong public education on local products.
She described locally produced rice, for instance, as healthy and said public education was needed to boost its consumption.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening the country ’s trade, agribusiness and industrial base, assuring the ministry of full support to deliver on its national development mandate.
The visit
The visit to the Trade Ministry was part of the Vice-President’s working visits to various ministries, departments and agencies in the country, especially those headed by women.
She had earlier visited the Ministries of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts as well as Education and Health.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang was accompanied by the Chief of Staff in her office, Alex Percival Segbefia, and other staff.
The Minister of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, together with management, staff and heads of agencies under the ministry received the Vice-President.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang explained that the visit formed part of broader engagement with key ministries to better understand their work, challenges and support needs, particularly those led by women, in line with efforts to promote inclusive governance.
Collaboration
The Vice-President urged ministries to strengthen collaboration among themselves and avoid operating in silos, adding that many government initiatives, particularly in production and industrialisation, required the involvement of multiple sectors such as Agriculture, Transport and Trade.
“Your work on raw materials alone shows how interconnected our ministries are. When we work together, we become more efficient,” she said.
She also welcomed the ministry’s focus on women and youth, stressing that youth development included both young men and women and remained a national priority.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang also stressed the importance of supporting standards boards and local manufacturers with proper training and equipment.
“It’s not enough to blame someone. We should give them the support they need to do their work well,” she said.
Budget discipline
The Vice-President encouraged the ministry to remain committed and assured them of the government’s support.
On budgeting and economic support, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang encouraged efficient use of government resources.
“I believe that if we can look at our budget and ensure that about 60 per cent of that money stays here, we’ll be making a huge impact on the economy,” she said.
Efforts
In a presentation, the minister said the ministry was leading wide-ranging reforms aimed at reducing the cost of doing business, attracting investors, revitalising manufacturing and cutting administrative bottlenecks to build a thriving trade and industrial sector.
She explained that one of the biggest constraints facing Ghana’s manufacturing sector was the limited availability of raw materials, a situation that had left many industries operating at only about 30 per cent of their installed capacity.
“Usually, we think finance is the major challenge, but raw materials are also a critical issue for industry,” she noted.
On export diversification, the minister said the ministry was placing strong emphasis on non-traditional exports, which employed large numbers of people, particularly women and the youth.
Under the Accelerated Export Development Programme, she said the ministry had worked closely with exporters to ease constraints in the export sector.
The minister also announced policy measures to protect local industry, including a ban on the export of non-ferrous scrap metals from 2026 to 2028 and a 10-year restriction on the export of raw natural rubber to stabilise domestic manufacturing and support industries such as tyre production under AfCFTA rules of origin.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh
