Monday 31st March , 2014 9:06 pm
Rev. Dr. Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, General Secretary, Christian Council
The Christian Council of Ghana has admonished President John Mahama not to sign the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) because it’s not in the best interest of Ghana.
The Council is of the view that, the EPA in its current form is not in the best interest of Ghana and it will worsen the country’s economic challenges if signed.
Speaking to Citi News, General Secretary of the Christian Council, Rev Dr. Kwabena Opuni- Frimpong said the policy if signed will destroy government efforts at enhancing local production and entrepreneurship and will further lead to huge revenue loss.
According to him ‘’[Ghana] is already suffering from the dumping of foreign goods at a cheaper price, making it difficult for the local industries to be productive and competitive’’.
The EPA policy seeks to liberalize 75 percent of all imports of goods into Ghana from European Union.
But the Christian Council in statement is of the view that the EPA will cripple local initiatives and also worsen the unemployment and poverty situation in the country, simply because local entrepreneurs will not be able to compete with EU counterparts.
“The Council is worried that government has not done enough public education on the impact of EPAs on our economy…,’’the statement noted.
Dr. Opuni further stated that the interest of Ghana’s economy and the people must be protected. ‘’We must not enter into any agreement that will jeopardise our economic fortunes,’’ he said.
By: Evans Effah/citifmonline.com/Ghana