The Minority in Parliament is urging President Akufo-Addo to promptly request the withdrawal of a regulation aimed at limiting the importation of essential items such as rice, fruit juice, margarine, cement, fish, sugar, and 16 other "strategic products."

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The regulation, championed by Trade Minister Kobina Tahir Hammond, is designed with the aim of bolstering the cedi's value and fostering the growth of domestic industries.

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As outlined in the proposed regulation, individuals intending to import the specified products would need authorization from the Trade Minister.

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Speaking to reporters on Thursday, November 22, the Minority Leader characterized the regulation as an unfavorable policy that should be withdrawn without delay.

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“We are urging the President to have a rethink because this is not a policy that we should encourage and they have to withdraw it,” he entreated.

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He pointed out that the World Trade Organisation (WTO) disapproves of such a policy, considering it a blatant violation of WTO practices.

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He referenced a comparable committee, the Justice Ollennu Committee, formed in 1967 to uncover corruption and malpractices associated with import licenses, and added that “the report was clear that the practice was outmoded and it cannot be continued because people use it for the purposes of rent-seeking.”

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According to the Minority Leader, limiting imports will worsen Ghanaians' situation by increasing inflation in the nation.

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He contends that when there are readily available alternatives, the government cannot impose restrictions on the importation of goods.

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“If they had created domestic production for some of these items, I would have no issue. But clearly, we know they want to restrict sugar but we do not have a sugar processing plant. The one that Mr Mahama actually constructed, this government is refusing to open it so where is the sugar going to come from?

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“What they are seeking to do is to create businesses for their financiers,” he claimed.

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He also voiced concern that, in light of the development, merchants who do not have connections to the New Patriotic Party might not be granted permission to import goods.

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Find the full list of 22 items considered for import restriction below:

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Rice

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Guts, bladders and stomach of animals

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Poultry

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Animal and Vegetable Oil

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Margarine

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Fruit Juices

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Soft Drink

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Mineral Water

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Noodles and Pasta

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Ceramic Tiles

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Corrugated Paper and Paper Board

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Mosquito Coil and Insecticides

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Soaps and Detergents

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Motor Cars

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Iron and Steel

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Cement

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Polymers (Plastics and Plastic Products)

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Fish

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Sugar

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Clothing and Apparel

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Biscuits

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Canned Tomatoes

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