LET'S REVIEW ECOWAS PROTOCOL-MINISTER

-
 The Ashanti Regional Minster, Simon Osei Mensah, has called for a review of the ECOWAS Protocol on free movement of citizens in member states to address certain challenges inherent in the compact. 

According to the Regional Minister, one major problem being faced by some member countries such as Ghana is the blatant abuse of some of the provisions of the Protocol resulting in an influx of foreigners in the retail business which is the preserve of Ghanaian citizens. 

Mr. Osei Mensah made the call in Kumasi during his first interaction with the Ashanti regional executives of the Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industries.

 The Minister noted that but for the agreement, successive governments would have dealt with the problem. 

Mr. Osei Mensah said even though ECOWAS-member countries rely on each other for trade, the abuse has disadvantaged those with smaller population such as Ghana.

 He however partly blamed the problem on some of the local people who front for such foreigners out of selfishness and greed. 

Touching on other issues, Mr. Osei Mensah said government is deliberately implementing business-friendly policies aimed at encouraging the private sector to grow so as to create more jobs for the people.

 Some of these policies, he said, are the reduction of Corporate Tax from 25 per cent to 20 per cent, re-introduction of the three per cent flat VAT rate for SMEs while consideration is being given to the abolition of the Withholding Tax. 

The Regional Minister explained that even though the state will lose some revenue from taxes at the initial stages of the new policies, more income will eventually accrue in the long run when incomes of individuals and companies increase. 

The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Yaw Boakye-Yiadom, said the regional branch has a membership of 300.

 He pleaded for an early implementation of the new tax policies as announced in the 2017 budget and also a lasting solution for the bottle-necks involved government-business relationships.

The Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, set up by and Act of Parliament and a Legislative Instrument 611 of 1868, is involved in activities including advocacy, business match-making, export development as well as trade and investment. 

The Regional Executives were at the Regional Minister’s office to introduce themselves and the chamber to him to establish mutual working relationship.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

JUTE FACTORY IS BACK

-
Image
the administrative block under rehabilitation At long last, the much talked about defunct GIHOC Fibre manufacturing Company popularly known as the Jute Factory, is to be back in operations very soon.  Ashanti Today can confirm that work is feverishly ongoing towards the revival of the once golden sacks manufacturing company with the first production expected in the first quarter of next year.  It is a public-private partnership with a wholly Ghanaian company, Jute Mills Ghana Limited being the operator and has already sunk about five million Ghana Cedis to revamp the company.  The Jute Factory is located within the industrial area of Kaase.  It has been on divestiture for about 20 years now with successive governments paying lip-service to revamp it.   The old machinery at main factory to be replaced soon  It is one project that is dear to the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu, who has used almost every opportunity with business people and investors wh
Read more

THE STATE OF KUMASI'S 'INDUSTRIAL AREA

-
The once Industrial enclave of the Ashanti region within the Kumasi metropolis is fast losing its status as the nerve centre of jobs for the people.     This is due to the collapse of most of the companies in quick succession in  the last few years for various reasons. Background Industrialization was a key component of the first wholly indigenous government of Ghana led by Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. The Ashanti region was not left out in this drive which was meant to create decent jobs for the residents, particularly the youth.  Asokwa, Ahinsan, Kaase, Atonsu and Kyirapatre were the communities that became what is known as the ‘Industrial Area’ of Ashanti from the early 60s.  The christening of this enclave as the ‘Industrial Area’ was the people’s appreciation of the numerous state and privately owned companies that were sited there.  These communities fall within present day Asokwa Constituency which is in the western part of the metropolis from the Accra d
Read more

KWAMANG SHS NEEDS URGENT HELP

-
Image
New Campus of the Kwamang Presby SHS The Kwamang Presby Senior High/Technical School in the Sekyere Central district of Ashanti needs an urgent external intervention to address some of its pressing basic needs to function very well.  A visit by Ashanti Today to the school’s premises revealed that the school does not have an administrative block to administer affairs of the school for which reason the Headmistress, the Bursar and another staff are sharing one room which has been partitioned, while the Assistant Headmaster, the rest of the Accounts staff among other administrative officers are also working from an improvised classroom. Anybody who visits the Kwamang Presby Senior High Technical school for the first time will unavoidably take it for a basic school.  This is more so when it appears to be perching on the premises of the local Junior High School as its old site.  The school is wallowing in a myriad of challenges that are seriously militating against
Read more