Government has called on local manufacturing companies and start-ups to take advantage of the “Made in Ghana Display” campaign, and register their products to enable them equally compete favourably with other foreign products on the market.
The ongoing campaign rolled out by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), seeks to encourage supermarkets and foreign retail shops in the country to promote locally produced goods.
Addressing journalists at the Sunday edition of the bi-weekly media briefings by the Ministry of Information in Accra yesterday, the sector minister, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, said the campaign apart from promoting locally manufactured products, was also to enhance easy access to local products.
He said the FDA had already commenced engagement with some major supermarkets and retail outlets, to allocate specific sections in their shops for ‘Made in Ghana Products.’
“In response, some of these shops have already begun dedicating prime shelves to Ghanaian manufactured products,” the minister stressed.
Mr Nkrumah noted that the FDA was poised to expedite the registration of locally manufactured products, to meet international standards, adding that, “This will facilitate easy admission into global retail outlets both here and abroad.”
He explained that the food industry contributed hugely to the local economy, and efforts of the FDA to bring the sector to international standards and create more shelf space for it in local supermarkets could not be over-emphasised.
“We urge the local manufacturing companies and start-ups to take advantage of this and register their products so they can equally compete on the market,” the minister said.
The Chief Executive Officer of the FDA, Mrs Mimi Delese Darko, called for local packaging companies to assist in the packaging of locally manufactured products in the country.
According to her, the lack of such companies made it imperative that most local companies resorted to China for such services, which invariably increased their cost of production, thus, making them to be non-competitive.
Mrs Darko said the FDA had set up a special office to deal with the registration of locally manufactured products expeditiously, and that the office did not compromise on standards.
By Cliff Ekuful
