Made In Ghana: Patronizing Made-In-Ghana Goods: Are We On Course?

To every patriotic citizen out there, the above subject may trigger a line of thought. President Akufo-Addo in December 2019, made a passionate call for the patronage of Made-In-Ghana products to boost the economy and serve as a drive for local industries in our quest for self-sufficiency, culminating in a Ghana Beyond Aid.

Hitherto, the Ministry of Agriculture stated at a Meet-The-Press session that a target of 700,000 tonnes in rice production had been set for 2022. In view of the aforementioned, I hasten to ask; where are we?

With Citi Fm/TV’s Christmas Made-in-Ghana fair, the discussions on Radio and TV platforms, and the social media hashtags caused a significant increase in the sale of Made-In-Ghana products, especially local rice brands. Post-December 2019, the frenzy seems to have taken a nosedive.

The over-reliance on the taste for foreign goods is what has largely made Ghana an import-driven economy. The adverse effect of this situation is that every single import is equivalent to shipping jobs, promoting the growth of other economies and weakening the value of the Cedi. In 2018, Ghana spent $1.1 billion on rice importation, $374 million on the importation of chicken and a further $203 million on the importation of sugar. Interestingly, the $2 billion estimated annual revenue of cocoa is almost equal to Ghana’s food import.

Until an effective operationalization of industrialization on the back of a commensurate local demand and an opportunity for export is attained, the strength of the Cedi may continue to be volatile over time.

We all have our parts to play in this conundrum. Successive governments must make the necessary investments in key sectors of the economy while leveraging on the African Continental Free Trade Area, hosted by Ghana. The fourth estate of government must, as a matter of urgency, engage the citizenry on the above-mentioned subject. Above all else, Ghanaians must make frantic efforts in supporting the Ghana brand by any means necessary.

If we ever have the privilege to make a choice between an import-driven economy and a self-reliant one, I pray we choose the latter.

George Sarpong
(Author, The Ballot Bag)