Ghanaians warned against politicization of seizure and destruction of textile

Accra, Sept 15, GNA - Mis Vivian Ankrah, Greater Accra Regional Women's Organizer for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), on Thursday cautioned the Ghanaian public against politicizing the seizure and destruction of imitated textiles throughout the country. "We are all Ghanaians and the current exercise is aimed at protecting the Ghanaian textile industry and should therefore not assume political dimensions."

Miss Ankrah gave the warning in a statement she signed and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra. On August 11 this year, Miss Hannah Tetteh, Minister for Trade and Industry, inaugurated a taskforce, which was mandated to seize and destroy all pirated textiles in the country as a way of protecting the Ghanaian textile industry.

The Women's wing of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) on Tuesday accused government of doing selective seizure and destruction of textiles, prompting the NDC women Organizer to react. Miss Ankrah explained that the taskforce was seizing all pirated and imitated logos and designs of textiles, without any political consideration and it was, therefore, disturbing for people from the NPP to describe it as 91selective seizure'. She did not mention any particular name but said 93The NPP people are accusing the NDC government of doing selective seizure, which I want to tell the public that it is not the truth. My mother sells cloths and I know the troubles they go through and will not do anything that will deprive them of their daily bread." Miss Ankrah said the exercise was to clear all cheap pirated textiles from the Ghanaian market and to protect the Ghanaian industry.

She said 93We all agree that textiles from PRINTEX, GTP, ATL and GTMC are of high quality and we shall not compromise quality for cheap and inferior pirated ones from other countries." Miss Ankrah called on all Ghanaians to be vigilant and help flash out all pirated textiles that were threatening the domestic companies and their products. 1