Punctual delivery is key to success in
export market - J.H.
Customers urged to choose tubeless tyres
Cocoa smuggling on the increase in Volta
Region
Punctual delivery is key to success in
export market - J.H.
Accra Greater Accra) 21 December 2001 - Mr Joseph Henry Mensah, Senior Minister, on Friday called on producers of textiles, garments and accessories to be punctual in the delivery of products to make an impact in the competitive American market.
Opening the first road show in Accra on textiles and garments in the spirit of the President's Special Initiative (PSI), the New Africa Initiative and The Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), he said punctuality was key to the export market.
Under AGOA Ghana would benefit from duty-free and quota free access to the US market for essentially all her processed products, including textiles and garments. "We need to be conscious of time especially for delivery to be able to compete in the American market since a minute's delay could lead to the rejection of a whole consignment," he stressed.
Mr Mensah, who is also the Chairman of the Government Economic Team, said Ghanaians had for many years lived in a sellers' market, "but the world, especially Americans, live in a buyer's market, where the consumers determine the trend of the market."
The two-day show has brought together designers from Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa to discuss the potentials of the African designers/ artisans in the textile/garment and afro-centric product industries.
Mr Mensah caution participants against thinking AGOA could be used as a magic wand to enter into the American market without conforming to the norms of the market, which thrived on punctuality and perfection.
"You cannot cut edges nor substitute one colour of thread for the other and assume it would be accepted because you have already finished with it," he said adding with that attitude they would not be able to compete because their goods would be rejected.
Mr Mensah urged the designers to endeavour to maintain the market when they had succeeded in penetrating. "With the slightest hitch, you are already out," he warned.
Mr Akwesi Osei-Adjei, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry said AGOA had the potential to help Ghana to transform its economy. "These benefits can only happen if the government and private sector organisations work together to translate the AGOA benefits into real trade and investment tangibles," he said.
He said experiences of many countries had shown that textiles and garment could provide a good entry point into the industrialisation process, hence the government's interest in seeing to it that the industry grew. He said the sector had been earmarked to play a key role in the national poverty reduction programme.
Ms Nancy Powell, US Ambassador, said over 70 per cent of America's clothing needs was made from out side America, "However very little also come from Africa. Ghana is therefore one of 35 other countries currently being urged by the US government to take advantage of AGOA.''
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Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 21 December 2001 - Tubeless tyres should be preferred to those with tubes since they did not generate heat, Mr Samuel Lawrence Baiden, Technical Manager of CFAO, sole agents of Bridgestone tyres, advised on Wednesday.
Addressing a seminar organised for 80 government drivers at the Ashanti Regional Co-ordinating Hall in Kumasi, Mr Baiden asked drivers to check the size and load capacity of the tyres and look for those that could do the particular jobs adding that they should examine their tyres every 24 hours to avoid accidents.
He warned them against using tyres designed for snow because it was not good for the tropical weather. Tyres should be rotated after 5,000 kilometres to make them wear out evenly, he said, adding that mixed tyres could be used because they are good for rugged roads.
The Technical Manager urged the to be careful on the road and follow the instructions after their training.
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Cocoa smuggling on the increase in Volta
Region
Hohoe (Volta Region) 21 December 2001- The Volta Regional Manager of the Produce Buying Company (PBC), Mr Augustine Boglo has expressed concern over the alarming rate at which cocoa is being smuggled out of the country.
According to the GNA he said in an interview on Thursday that cocoa purchases had gone down from 3,800 bags a week to 816 bags due to the activities of smugglers.
Smugglers were parading cocoa producing areas with sacks and weighing scales and were contacting farmers for their produce.
The regional manager alleged that the smugglers were paying between 450,000 cedis and 500,000 cedis for a bag of cocoa instead of the government approved price of 247,000 cedis.
Mr Boglo appealed to the law enforcement agencies in the region to help curb the activities of the smugglers. He said reports reaching him indicated that the smuggling of the produce went on at night in all the 78 cocoa buying centres in the region.
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