The Trade ministry has asked Chinese businesses to help revive the ailing Ghanaian textile industry.
The call comes barely two weeks after thousands of textile workers poured onto the streets of Accra to demand the seizure and destruction of pirated wax prints on the Ghanaian market.
This, they said, should be done within a month ultimatum with their spokesperson John Abeka warning that they will not sit aloof and watch the textile companies collapse.
“The time has come when we are not going to be spectators but citizens like the President suggested. We are saying the textile companies are not going to die. We are saying they should take off the VAT on the textile companies. We are saying the pirating and smuggling are collapsing our business. We are saying they should stop everything that they are doing and listen to us,” he said.
The textile industry used to employ about 30,000 people but it barely has some few thousands of workers left now.
Speaking at the official opening of the China Trade Week in Accra Monday May 7, the Deputy Trade Minister Carlos Ahenkorah in an attempt to court the support of the Chinese businesses charged them to partner local textile industries to export, under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which charges no duties on some export products.
“I don’t see any reason why the Chinese will not take advantage of this programme (African Growth and Opportunity Act) when you export a large numbers or quantities of apparels to the US as quota and of course as a tariff when you can partner the Ghanaian businessmen here and send it to the same venue without paying any duties or having any ceiling,” he said.
He also advised the Chinese businesses operating in the country to ensure the respect the rules and regulations in the country.
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM
