Bill on anti-red tape to bureaucratic business hurdles before Parliament

The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI) has developed a bill to reduce bureaucratic hurdles associated with the acquisition of permits and certifications from the regulatory agencies in the country.

The new legislation, currently awaiting approval from Parliament, aims to streamline the operations of regulatory agencies by creating a timeframe to process and serve requests from businesses seeking to formalise their products and services.

When passed, the bill on the ease-of-doing-business and other red tape concerns will help boost the efficiency of agencies such as the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Ghana Fire Service (GFS) and the Lands Commission.

Entrepreneurs and businesses will enjoy a more seamless experience when seeking certifications and permits for their products and services when the new bill becomes operational.

The Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Kofi Ahenkorah Marfo, made this known at the launch of the new Ghana Mall at Labone in the Greater Accra last Friday.

He stated that the bill promised to foster a more conducive business environment in the country, and encourage growth and innovation.

Improving efficiency

Mr Marfo said there were major setbacks that affect players in the private sector. He added that the bill, when passed, would help improve efficiency in the delivery of government services to the public by reducing bureaucratic processes to prevent corruption or minimise it to the barest minimum.

“The bill will provide business regulatory reforms by ensuring that certifications and permits are issued efficiently without any hurdles and ensure efficient ease of doing business in the country.

“It is currently before Parliament and we will use this bill to reduce the bureaucratic nature of obtaining certifications, permits and other reforms from our regulators,” he added.

Ghana Mall launch

The Ghana Mall displays exclusive locally manufactured products from entrepreneurs from across the country.

Some of the products include stylish men and women’s clothing, bags, shoes, cosmetics, soap and processed foods.

It was made possible through the Business in a Box Project, an initiative of the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA), in partnership with Mastercard Foundation.

Quality products

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the GEA, Kosi Yankey-Ayeh, said the Ghana Mall concept was to provide market access to entrepreneurs and micro, small and medium enterprises in Ghana with a strong focus on the youth and women-owned businesses and the quality of those products.

“The beautiful products in the mall are all made by Ghanaians across the country and the goal is to build our entrepreneurs and replace the foreign products in our markets.

“The mall is a partnership between the government and Mastercard Foundation and the plan is to replicate the mall concept in all the regional capitals,” he said.

Diverse talent

Acting Head, Entrepreneurship Development at Mastercard Foundation, Gottfried Odamtten-Sowah, said the mall was a marketplace that truly reflected a diverse talent of the country’s young entrepreneurs.

“It provides a platform where their voices, skills and craft can be seen and celebrated by showcasing these amazing products. We are not only supporting local businesses, but also driving forward the spirit of entrepreneurship for young people that fuel our economy,” he said.

Mr Odamtten-Sowah said the mall would serve as a beacon of trade opportunities, connecting local enterprises with consumers and buyers, both nationally and internationally.

Important market

The CEO of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Seth Twum-Akwaboah, said the manufacturing process was not complete without the products getting to the final consumer.

“And so, the entire process is very important to us. When you manufacture it must have distributors, retailers and consumers. A key retailing point is a mall like this new Ghana Mall.

“AGI has been promoting locally made products because that is what our members produce but patronage is still a challenge because of the misconception that they are low quality,” he said.