Ms Hannah Serwaah Tetteh, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has observed that the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) is not anti-industrialisation.

She said most of the people criticising the government are not aware of its benefits to the country, and urged them to exercise restraint until the full text of the Agreement is made available to them.

Ms Tetteh was interacting with participants attending a day’s ECOWAS Sensitisation Workshop for Public Sector Workers in Sunyani, in the Brong Ahafo Region.

It was on the theme: “Enhancing Public Sector Participation in the ECOWAS Regional Integration Process,” and was attended by Heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies and Civil Society Organisations (CSO) in the Region.

The workshop organised by the Ministry in collaboration with Media Response, a CSO has been held in the Greater Accra, Eastern, Volta, Western, Central and Ashanti Regions.

Ms Tetteh pointed out that after signing the agreement, government has the option to opt out after giving a six-month notice or call for a review every five years of its implementation on sectors that are suitable to the country.

She announced that yearly imports to Ghana from the European Union (EU) is about 550 million Euros and this could be increased under the agreement but failure to sign it would affect some local entrepreneurs.