Flashback: NDC government destroyed textiles industry, ignored AGOA - Carlos Ahenkorah

Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr. Carlos Ahenkorah two years ago accused the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of collapsing the textiles industry in Ghana before the Akufo-Addo led administration took over.

According to him, it saddens his heart to see the industry at the free zones enclave left to rot.

The minister speaking at a forum in Accra therefore called on Chinese businessmen to take advantage of the opportunity and partner with Ghanaian businessmen to export textiles to the US.

Read the story orginally published in 2018 by www.ghanaweb.com below

Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr. Carlos Ahenkorah has accused the NDC government and Mahama administration of reckless management and subsequent collapse of the textile industry in Ghana.

According to the Minister, the Textile Industry could be one of Ghana’s major boost to GDP if given the needed attention but unfortunately the previous government left it ajar to “rot”.

“The textile industry after we left office in 2008 was left unattended to collapse adding that the United States of America has a bilateral trade relationship with Ghana which allows Ghanaian business men to export textiles into the US with no or very low tariff”

The minister speaking at a forum in Accra urged Chinese businessmen to take advantage of the opportunity and partner with Ghanaian business men to export textiles to the US

“I do not see the reason why Chinese business men will not take up this opportunity when you export a large number of apparels to US at a quota when you can pattern with Ghanaian business men here to take advantage of the program adding that Ghana is opening up the opportunity to all Chinese business men”

According to him, the garments and textiles villages at the free zones enclave is dead and it saddens his heart

“As I speak to you today, there are only about two companies that are still surviving, all the rest has been used for warehouses and this is an industry that one company can employ about 3 thousand people to work, I challenge you to visit Agyeben and visit a company called GTRT, they export 6 hundred thousand T-shirts to US every year and this is because they have the support of US adding that “ we often read in the papers that textiles from China has be refused from entering the UK because exportation of textiles from China has reach its point so why won’t you take advantage of this opportunity to get the textiles to the UK and now with no tariff ” he said

He urged Chinese business men to take advantage of the program and invest in Ghana’s textiles industry.