Ministry must clarify use of fireworks

The Ministry of Trade and Industry has been urged to come out with the list of fireworks which cannot be used during this Christmas season.

The appeal follows a warning issued to the public by the Police against the use of firecrackers during the Christmas festivities.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Accra, Alhaji Yahya Kundow, Director of Amudalatu Company Limited, who made the appeal on behalf of importers of firecrackers, said the Ministry’s clarification on the type of firecrackers banned from importation would help to erase the erroneous impression in the minds of some members of the public that the use of all fireworks is banned.

He recalled that following the public outcry of the menace of some fireworks during Christmas, the Ministry placed a total ban on the importation of a selected number of the fireworks. He further recalled that the ban affected only four of the fireworks namely firecrackers (knockouts), display shells, artillery shells, ball and canister shells.

Alhaji Kundow said the exempted ones included toys and assorted toy fireworks, hand-hold fireworks – sparklers, roman candles, bottle rockets and missiles and floral shells.

He was optimistic that the clarification by the Ministry would enable the public to patronize the exempted fireworks which have been displayed on the markets.