Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kyerematen

Industrialists in the country are asking that government gives local businesses a front row in its industrialisation agenda.

This they want government to do by implementing robust local content policies. According to a former AGI president, Tony Oteng Gyasi, the move is critical in attracting investors.

He also strongly believes it is necessary for job creation. Speaking at the recently held AGI Ghana Industrial Summit and Exhibition, Mr. Gyasi insists, local content policies must be a key priority for government.

He bemoaned that “sometimes, our policy makers and their reactions to local content does not look real.”

Using the power sector for example, Mr. Gyasi stated that “we have been following the local content policy for the electricity sector for one year now – the legislative instrument which should give rise to it for one year now and we have been going up and down.”

He added: “If somebody has put up a factory in response to that local content policy and for one year it is not coming and how do you expect them to survive? Businesses have a very short lifespan…especially; new businesses in our part of the world can very easily get suffocated.”

Source: Ghana/StarrFMonline.com/103.5FM