General News of Friday, 20 May 2016

Source: Kofi Aduonum

Attack on West Blue unfair – JM Ambassadors

CEO of West Blue, Ghana - Valentina Mintah CEO of West Blue, Ghana - Valentina Mintah

JM Ambassadors – a pro-government group committed to promoting social justice in the country, says the constant attacks on West Blue, Ghana at the least instance by the NPP, is an attack on womanhood, which is unfortunate.

A statement issued by the group and signed by its National Coordinator, Alhaji Alhassan Galadimah, said the decision to award the contract for the destination inspection to West Blue was done in the best interest of the nation.

“It is quiet ironic that the NPP, which claims to be a party that believes in promoting private enterprise, is now at the fore front in working against empowering hardworking Ghanaian companies such as West Blue, Ghana,” the statement said.

The statement noted that several countries in Africa, such as Nigeria and Kenya, have now resorted to empowering local companies since this has been identified as a viable means to building a sound and resilient economy and that Ghana cannot be left out of this new thinking.

JM Ambassadors are of the view that the CEO of West Blue, Ghana Ms. Valentina Mintah and her hardworking workforce deserve commendation from the people of this country and not the unfortunate vilification.

“If our mothers are blazing the trail in the world of business as Ms. Mintah is doing, it becomes a moral duty for all of us to support and encourage them, especially when they have created employment for our youth” the statement said.

The statement said that MS. Mintah, like many other Ghanaian women deserve to be given government contracts. “This is in line with the vision of the NDC under President Mahama to establish an environment that grants equal opportunities to all manner of persons in fulfilment of the party’s mission to entrench the principle of social justice”.

JM Ambassadors are also surprised at the reference to a letter purported to have originated from the office of the Chief of Staff that directed that the contract for the national single window for inspection of goods at the ports be awarded to West Blue, Ghana.

“Part of the letter that the NPP has found it convenient to quote so often stated that “you should take the necessary steps to secure the Public Procurement Approval”. Just how the NPP reads corruption into this is mind boggling” the statement said.

The statement called on Ghanaians not to be swayed by the incessant attacks on West Blue, Ghana but rather consider the good and admirable work the company is rendering to the country since it started work not long ago.
Since West Blue, Ghana took over and implemented the national single window, the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority has exceeded revenue targets for last year.

Customs now also process over 500 Customs Classification and Valuation Report per day. In the past only 200 CCVR were processed in a day with five Destination Inspection Companies.

In another development, the National Coordinator of the JM Ambassadors, Alhaji Alhassan Galadimah, has said in an interview that the group will champion for the restoration of a stevedoring license to Odart Stevedoring Ltd.

He said that the Ghana Ports and Habours Authority (GPHA) does not reserve the right to arbitrarily terminate the operating license of stevedoring companies on the mere suspicion that such companies belong to an opposition political party.