The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) has warned government not to allow the take off of the Ghana Conformity Assessment Programme (G-CAP) this year. According to GUTA they will resist any attempt to implement the G-CAP as it will only add to the unnecessary delay in the importation of their goods into the country increasing cost of doing business.
?We are not going to pay anything and are not interested in the implementation of the G-CAP, therefore we want the government not to even consider the programme.?
The G-CAP is a conformity assessment process used to verify that products imported to Ghana meet the necessary standards at the manufacturing country of origin.
Speaking to Citi Business News at the at the sidelines of the stakeholder?s forum on delays in clearing goods at the ports President of the Ghana Union of Traders Association George Ofori said government and the destination Inspection companies must be willing to bear the cost since its members will not pay the charges.
?We as GUTA we are entreating government that we don?t want to hear the introduction and reintroduction of any kind of addition of more. Even now at the meeting you saw as trying to take out some of the agencies from operating at our ports. So why are we also trying to get some institutions again as a line of action. Therefore what we are saying is that the G-CAP must not be entertained.?
President of GUTA emphasied that if government wants to introduce it then the revenue aspect would have to be absorbed by the government itself or the Destination Inspection Companies (DIC) but as traders they were unwilling and would not pay a pesewa in terms of G-CAP activities, advising government to be cautious in their quest to want to introduce the G-CAP in the country.
Source;
Norvan Acquah -Hayford
