Government to ban importation of foods, products which can be produced locally

The Minister of Information Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah says government will soon ban the importation of foods and products which can be produced locally. The move according to the Minister forms part of efforts by government to reduce the high cost of living in the country. Speaking on the Kumasi-based OTEC 102.9 FM's breakfast show, "Nyansapo" on Monday, October 31, 2022, Oppong-Nkrumah said government will use the next six months to boost the capacity of local companies to create more jobs and indigenous products at the same time. He added that excessive importation of certain products particularly foods that can be produced in Ghana will be banned after local producers begin to feed the economy with the needed capacity "Government has deployed pragmatic and practical strategies to strengthen the capacities of local producers to help increase the local production of food items". "We have already acknowledged that the present economic woes of the country were a result of the high rate of importation and demand for foreign goods, especially food items". "That is why the government has decided to ban the importation of certain goods such as poultry products, rice, fish, and cooking oil among others," he said. He noted that the high taste for foreign goods was seriously affecting local production adding that government is taking urgent steps to control the situation.