FDA ‘killing’ local manufacturers - Made-In-Ghana Campaign Ambassador

The Made-In-Ghana Campaign Ambassador, Emelia Arthur, has accused the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) of a calculated attempt to ‘kill’ local companies that manufacture made in Ghana products.

Ms. Arthur, who is also a gospel musician, said, several local companies are faced with intimidation and sabotage from the FDA since they go through hell before their products and jingles/adverts are approved.

The Made-In-Ghana Campaign Ambassador made the accusations when speaking at the Word of Testimony Church at Awoshie in Accra during the first edition of her ‘50-Church Patriotic Tour’ project.

The ‘50-Church Patriotic Tour’ project, organized by Adfirst Consult, will enable the Made-In-Ghana Campaign Ambassador tour 50 churches across the country to sensitize people on the need to patronize made-in-Ghana goods.

The year-long tour is with the slogan: “Consume What We Produce, Produce What We Consume”.

The over 1,200 congregation of Word Testimony Church at Awoshie in Accra were the first to receive the sensitization message.

Ms. Arthur noted that the FDA must stop sabotaging local manufacturers of made in Ghana goods by not holding on to their jingles/adverts and products with the aim of expecting the manufactures to pay their way through before they are approved.

“The FDA is killing local companies. FDA will approve the product for the local manufacturer but will hold on to the jingle and adverts that would be played for the promotion of the goods and that is affecting most local companies”, she explained.

Ms. Arthur said “you approve the product but you are holding on to the jingle so you [FDA] are not helping the government’s effort in making sure those involve in local production are improved.

The gospel musician called on the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to intervene on behalf of the local companies because the FDA is sabotaging those who refused to pay their way through.

“President Akufo-Addo must look into the operations of the FDA because they are killing local companies”, she added.

Consumption of local goods

Ms. Arthur explained that most a time, people think made in Ghana goods is only clothes, but “made in Ghana is not only clothes. There are several others that are made in Ghana such as food, jewels, so we must patronize them”.

“You always says they [made in Ghana goods] are expensive…yes…it is because we don’t patronize it…but if we begin to buy them, the prices will go down…when the demand is high, prices go down”, she urged.

 

Advice to the youth

She advised the youth of Ghana not to sit idle and do something meaningful for themselves because Ghana is blessed with so many things.

“Ghana is the only country that even maize even germinates on tarred roads and that means Ghana is blessed”, she added.

Ms. Arhur noted that the government’s “one-district-one-factory project” will require the expertise of the youth so if they sit idle without any skills, they will not benefit from the programme in case the government is able to establish a local factory in their area.

“You have to work. Get something doing because in the past, the whites came and gave us small offices, asked us to wear suit and tire while they entered into farming. They then exported the produce to their various countries for us [Ghanaians] to suffer, so do something to help yourself and nation”, she added.

She expressed gratitude to Adfirst Consult for organizing the tour and K.K. Preprah Roofing, Capital O2, and ABS Collection for coming on board to sponsor and help spread the good news about made-in-Ghana products.

 As part of her bid to arouse public interest in our own produce, Ms Arthur has recorded a song called ‘Nyame Enndi Ye Abro’ (God Won’t Forsake Us) to help bolster her crusade. Rendered in Fante, Twi, Ewe and Ga, it urges all to help lift up this country by relying on our own efforts.

The Founder and Leader of Word Testimony Church, Prophet Maxwell Acheampong, in an interview with Prime News Ghana, said the actions of some government institutions that sabotage local manufacturers are “share greedy and wickedness on the part of those in charge of these institutions”.

He also called on President Akufo-Addo to as a matter of urgency; call these state institutions to order because their actions are affecting the performance of the government.

“I know it is wickedness and the government must come in because in the Western World, when they say it A, it is A, and that is why they are progressing”, the man of God explained.

Prophet Acheampong urged Ghanaians to patronize made in Ghana goods because now it is of quality compare to the imported goods.

He praised the ‘Made-In-Ghana Ambassador, Emilia Arthur for the initiative and urged Ghanaians to support her.

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