The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI) has organized a consultative meeting for stakeholders in economic sector to seek their input on a Legislative Instruments (L.I) currently in Parliament to regulate the importation of some selected products into the Ghanaian market.

The Bill, when implemented will become a law that would replace imports with domestic production and regulate trade and economic activities in Ghana.

The Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, Hon. Nana Akua Dokua Asiamah-Adjei in her presentation at the event, said the dialogue was to ensure a fair inclusion of stakeholders whose contribution is very vital in the implementation of the policy.

According to her, the Bill is one of the Ministry’s major responses to the economic pressure currently face by the country due to its inability to locally produce some selected products such as rice and poultry in larger quantity to feed the growing population.

She was optimistic that, the passing of the Bill would help the country to reduce its foreign dependency through the local production of industrialized products.

Statistics available indicates that over 60% of the rice consumed in Ghana is imported, which amounts to US$391 million per year. This significant expenditure underscored the need on policy shift to reduce reliance on importation of foreign goods.

“We need to be able to engage people who are going to be directly on indirectly affected by this bill before we are able to enact it into law, the feedback we from them will enable us to forward it to the Attorney Generals Department for it to be considered during the final draft” the Deputy Minister said.

Some major stakeholders such as the Ghana Union Of Traders Association (GUTA), Association of Ghana Industry, (AGI) Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana participated in the dialogue.

They pledged their support for the Bill, since it would not only boost local production but also create employment opportunities for the youth.