Parliament continues with vetting of ministerial nominees

The Appointments Committee of Parliament on Thursday continued the vetting of the President's nominees for Ministerial and Deputy Ministerial positions at Parliament House.

The Chairman of the Committee, Mr Freddie Worsemao Blay commended the Press for their coverage of the proceeding of the Committee and for the comportment of the public during the sittings.

The first to appear was Mr Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, Ghana's Ambassador to the United States of America, who has been nominated for appointment as Minister of Trade, Industry and President's Special Initiatives (PSI).

Mr Kyerematen, a Lawyer and Diplomat, when asked of his position on the extension of the PSI to cover the whole country, said the focus and primary thrust of the initiatives was to execute industrial growth and development.

He said there was, therefore, the need to enhance and increase export earning by identifying certain areas that had potential advantages of production to be supported.

The Minister-designate said there was the urgent need for the mass of the rural people to be brought into the mainstream of economic development so that the poverty level could be improved.

Mr Kyerematen said the PSI was not meant to weaken the functions of the sector ministries but it was to lay emphasis and give the production sector a high level of political support and implementation strategy instead of the ad hoc measures that were often adopted.

On the controversy about the allegations that the PSI was concentrated in the coastal areas, he said the PSI was designed to be a national one but for operational reasons it had been zoned into 10 parts and very soon the Bontanga Irrigation Project would be used to assist farmers in the Northern Region under the PSI.

Mr Kyerematen said the U.S. market was now opened to the benefit of African countries through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and it was necessary to put in competitive schedules.

He said the issue of packaging and labelling needed to be looked at through technological advancement and funding and the right calibre of entrepreneurs ready for the international markets.

The Minister-designate said the establishment of a sub-regional market should be the launching pad for trade that would enhance the competitiveness of African countries.

He said since low productivity was the bane of the Ghanaian economy, there was the need to train the people to be productive, change their attitude and provide them with the technological know-how.

"Theoretical knowledge at the educational institutions needs to move towards value added training with the needed equipment and technology infusion to ensure high productivity.