Trade Minister Defends Decision to Exclude Cement Manufacturers from Meeting
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- Decision Defended: Trade Minister Kobina Tahir Hammond has justified his decision to exclude representatives of the Cement Manufacturers Association from a meeting with the Ghana Chamber of Construction Industry (GCCI).
- Meeting Location: The meeting was held at Christ the King in Accra.
- Minister’s Perspective: Hammond stated in an interview on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme that he sees no problem with his actions. He said, “I don’t see anything wrong with it. I called for a meeting with the manufacturers, but they refused to attend.”
- Reason for Exclusion: The manufacturers cited Hammond’s insistence on having the meeting in the presence of the media as their reason for not attending.
- Clarification of Purpose: Hammond clarified that the meeting was intended to facilitate interactions with the Chamber of Construction.
- Request to Leave: Emmanuel Tettey Martey, Chairman of the Ghana Chamber of Construction Industries, requested the cement manufacturers to leave the meeting after Hammond’s insistence.
- Ongoing Engagement: Hammond noted that since Monday, he has been engaging with other stakeholders on different issues.
- Legislative Update: The Trade Minister has submitted a document to Parliament, which is expected to become law within 21 days.
- Input Not Needed: He emphasized that he does not require input from the manufacturers for the implementation of the law, suggesting they might be concealing information.
- Market System: Hammond acknowledged the challenges of a free market system but stressed that it should not justify exploiting consumers.
- Economy Principles: He defined a free economy as allowing trade and reasonable profit, rather than exploiting citizens for unreasonable gains.
