State agencies in Ghana are being urged to purchase “Made in Ghana” goods, local media reports.
The Made in Ghana initiative looks to utilise the country’s local industries, increasing employment, production and trade. According to a communiqué issued by the school of Distance and Continuing Education of the University of Ghana’s College of Education, State agencies using Made in Ghana products will boost local industries in the country.
The communiqué was issued at the closing ceremony of the 69th annual New Year School, and called on government to as a matter of policy, formulate and implement a legal framework that will make it mandatory for all state agencies to do so.
Speaking to local media, Acting Head of Department of the school, Dr Eric Osei Assibey Yeboah, explained that since government has a strong purchasing power, it should lead the charge in purchasing local products to motivate the general citizenry to do same.
He said: “No government is pushing for us to demand locally produced products and so we are saying that government should lead the way, government should make it compulsory so that all its MDA’s in the sectors of Agriculture, Health and Educational set-ups across the country should all use locally manufactured produce.
“So government should use its purchasing power to create and guarantee markets for these locally produced goods. If government leads the way, other people or the countrymen will also follow. Government is the biggest purchaser, so, if government alone is purchasing locally manufactured products, then it could even be enough market for these businesses to expand to create jobs for the teeming majority of people.”
