Skip to main content

Import of textiles to go through KIA



By Fred Yaw Sarpong
The Minister of Trade and Industry (MOTI), Haruna Iddrisu has announced that with effect from September 2nd, 2013 all imports of textiles will go through Kotoka International Airport (KIA), Takoradi and Tema ports.
Aside these ports, textiles coming into the country through other roots will be ceased and destroy.  
The Minister in a statement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) said, the TRIPs agreement mandates governments not to allow infringed goods to enter the channel of commerce and also not to allow the re-exportation of such goods.
He stated that “In pursuance of the TRIPs agreement, a number of countries in our sub region such as Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria have destroyed textiles together with the vehicles that were transporting them.”
However, Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) have been instructed that, with immediate effect, entreat imported African prints as high risk goods and shall be subjected to 100% physical examination to be jointly conducted by officers from GRA and GSA.
Under the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on TRIPs where goods infringe intellectual property, there is an obligation on the part of governments to take certain special boarder measures.
Article 51-60 of the TRIPS agreement enjoin all members of the WTO to take action to prevent the release by Custom Authority of the infringing goods.
Meanwhile, the Trade and Industry ministry has acted upon the directive of cabinet on curbing the menace of pirated African prints and textiles from the Ghanaian market by inaugurating the reconstituted task force on seizure and disposal of pirated Ghanaian textile designs and a vetting committee on the importation of African textile prints.
This re-constituted task force has been expanded to include other stakeholders such as the National Security Council, Ghana Union of Traders, GUTA and the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industries, GNCCI, with the objective of curbing the menace of illegal importation of pirated Ghanaian textile prints and to ensure that importers who engage in these nefarious activities face the full rigors of the law.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Vodafone sells 45% shares in Verizon for US$130 billion

Vodafone has sold its 45% stake in Verizon Wireless to US telecoms group Verizon Communications in one of the biggest deals in corporate history. The US$130 billion (£84bn) deal was announced by Vodafone after the close of trading on the London Stock Exchange. The company will return £54 billion to its shareholders, of which £22 billionn will go to shareholders in the UK. Vodafone will also invest money in its business, with funds earmarked for high speed mobile phone networks. It said that by 2017 its main five European markets would have almost complete 4G coverage. Possibly it would be wrong to carp and wring hands that Vodafone won't be paying a penny of tax to the British taxman” Vodafone group chairman Gerard Kleisterlee said: "The transaction will position Vodafone strongly to pursue our leadership strategy in mobile and unified communication services for consumers and enterprises, both in our developed markets and across our emerging markets businesses." The...
Post a Comment
Read more

Shortage of weighing cards hit major hospitals in Accra

By: Fred Yaw Sarpong- Daily Express There is scarcity of Child Health Records Book (weighing cards), in some major public hospitals in the capital, information reaching the Daily Express indicates. Checks by this paper revealed that while some of the hospitals have being encountering the shortage for about a year now, others started experiencing it six months ago. In place of the Child Health Record Book (weighing card), the nursing mothers are given a single card on which information of children are recorded on it. Those hospitals identified are the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Korle Bu Polyclinic, Kaneshie Polyclinic, Adabraka Polyclinic and the Ridge Hospital. At the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, the nursing mothers are given yellow cards in place of the weighing cards. The Public Relations Secretariat at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital said such information has not come to their notice and for that matter they cannot comment on it. “We do not have some ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Barbering Salons, bridging the unemployment gap in Ghana

By: Fred Yaw Sarpong Barbering business in Ghana is money making venture, depending on the location of the shop. Various barbering shops scattered across the country charges according to the location of the shop. The nature and sustainability of every barbering shop depends on the location of the shop. The location will determine how much one can charge a customer for barbering his or her hair. Checks indicate that some barbering shops located at Spintex, East Legon and Osu Oxford street charges between GHc15.00 and GHc20.00 per hair cut. At South La Estate, it will cost a customer to pay GHc4.00 for hair cut, while one will have to pay GHc3.00 to barber his or her hair at a place like Nima, Maamobi and Mallam Gbawe. Royal Vulture Executive Barbering Salon is one of the biggest barbering salons one can locate within Accra. One is its shops is located at Madina, near Taxi rank while one is located at Accra New Town, near the Post Office. Customers at Madina pay GHc7.00 ...
7 comments
Read more