The leadership of the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI) has paid a working visit to some member businesses in Takoradi to ascertain the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their activities.

The visit also enabled the team, led by Nana Dr Appiagye Dankawoso I, the GNCCI President, who happens to be the Presidential Advisor on the Private Sector, to be abreast of concerns of businesses as the Government initiates some stimulus packages to cushion businesses.

Members of the team included the Regional Chairman, Mr Stephan Miezah, and Mr Badu Aboagye, the Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber.

They visited the Ghana Rubber Estate Limited, the Ghana Flour Mills, Diamond Cement and Dress up College of Fashion.

At the Diamond Cement, Mr Dharmendra Patel, the General Manager, bemoaned the depreciation of the cedi, coupled with low turnover, as the major impact of the pandemic on the business.

The Managing Director of the Ghana Rubber Estate Ltd, on his part, appealed to the Government through the Chamber to find some relief packages for the more than 50,000 farmers in the rubber value chain who had been affected.

Mr Percy Botchwey, the Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Flour Mills, said the company, which normally produced 800 tonnes a day, now produced 400 tonnes daily and had adopted a shift system to avoid lay-offs.

Nana Dankawoso commended the companies for weathering the storm to make a positive contribution in the lives of their employees and to sustain livelihoods.

He pledged the commitment of the Chamber to engage in robust advocacy for local and international assistance to businesses.