Obuasi scrap dealers want ban lifted

The Obuasi Scrap Dealers Association has added its voice to calls on the government to relax the ban on the exportation of scrap materials to help curb the worsening unemployment situation in the country.

This is because the local scrap factories are hiding behind the ban to either exploit the scrap dealers or push them out of business entirely.

At a press briefing Mr. Kwame Owusu, Chairman and Kwaku Aning, Secretary of the Association explained “the local industries are exploiting us by either paying very low prices for our goods or reject most of the goods with no apparent reasons”.

In addition, the factories determine the price of the scrap irrespective of its quality. “They are really pushing us out of the business not withstanding that most of our members have accessed huge loans from the banks which they have to pay back”, the Chairman stressed.

The association bitterly complained about the behavior of the scrap factories and appealed to the government and the Minister of Trade and Industries to help sustain the scrap business in the country.

They explained that, after loading a truck full of scraps and paying huge sums of money as transport charges to Tema, they are exploited by the dealers, who select what they like and reject the remaining, making them stranded at Tema, with no place to store the rejected ones.

They maintained that their business was helping the government to solve part of the unemployment problem but the emerging situation would gradually help to aggravate it rather.

Mr. Owusu appealed to the government and Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, the Minister of Trade and Industries to consider lifting the ban to keep members in business.