Benchmark brouhaha: Don’t heed to calls by GUTA and others, implement it- Mr. Seth Twum to Government

The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) has urged government not to heed calls by some stakeholders for the implementation of the reversal of Benchmark values to be suspended for further consultations.

Speaking in an interview with the media today, Executive Director of the Association, Seth Twum Akwaboah said government should go ahead with the implementation of the benchmark values while it holds consultations aside.

“I am fully against it, government should not suspend implementation, rather consultation should continue let’s implement, let’s see what happens along the line.

“The fixed product that we have challenges in terms of output, let’s see how we can quickly close those capacities and ensure that local capacity is institutive,” he noted.

He explained that the suspension of the Benchmark values would imply that local industries would be subverted.

According to Seth Twum Akwaboah, with the Africa Continental Free Trade in place, local industries capacity must be boosted to prevent imported goods from overtaking the local market.

“If you don’t build your local capacity as you are allowing import to come in duty-free, it will wipe out all your market but if you boost local capacity now, then you can also export to enter other markets so if you suspend it means that you are killing local industry forever and it will never work so let’s continue the consultation but the implementation star, “he explained.

By: Barbara Koranteng/filasconews