{"id":601873,"date":"2019-03-24T16:02:09","date_gmt":"2019-03-24T16:02:09","guid":{"rendered":"
\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n\n<\/div>\n

Government\u00a0through\u00a0the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has begun a campaign to encourage supermarkets and foreign retail shops in the country to promote locally produced goods dubbed \u201cMade in Ghana Display\u201d.<\/p>\n

Consequently, the Authority has\u00a0commenced engagements with major supermarkets and retail outlets\u00a0to allocate specific sections on their shelves for these\u00a0products.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said the move \u201cis aimed at enhancing easy access to local products even in these\u00a0shops and\u00a0adding to efforts to deepen markets for made\u00a0in Ghana products.\u201d<\/p>\n

The elated Minister\u00a0told journalists at a press briefing Sunday that, \u201csome of these shops have already begun\u00a0dedicating prime shelves\u00a0to Ghanaian manufactured products.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The CEO\u00a0of the FDA, Delese Darko who recently launched the \u201cBuy Ghana Love Ghana\u201d at the\u00a0Koala Supermarket here in Accra, has challenged other retail shops\u00a0to replicate same.<\/p>\n

Customers are likely to see special shelves loaded with locally\u00a0manufactured foods products, cosmetics, household chemicals substances like detergents, handwashing and dishwashing liquid as well as medical devices like sanitary towels.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Speaking at the presser she disclosed that the initiative comes from a meeting they had with President Nana Akufo-Addo in which he stressed that the emerging world markets like Turkey, India and China got big for patronising their own.\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

She shared her experience from India when they\u00a0went for an inspection tour and she was envious of seeing trucks carrying raw materials into the companies and others moving out with finished products.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis meant that as a country if we want to be big and get to where they are as a nation, we have to patronise our own products. That why we took this advice of the president and set up this initiative where we ask retailers to give local products the prominence they deserve.\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have approached a few\u00a0supermarkets which have started the \u2018Buy Ghana, Love Ghana\u2019 initiative to sell the idea to them,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

According to her, the Authority is\u00a0poised to expedite the registration of locally manufactured products to meet International standards and they will leave no stone unturned in achieving this.\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

FDA has set up special units dedicated to registering locally manufactured products and \u201can industrial support department that looks after the industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, if you come up as a startup, we have department specially set up to train you and to help bring your industry to the point where to the point where you can manufacture products that are worthy of the international market,\u201d she added.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

She\u00a0believes this will facilitate easy admission into global retail outlets both in the country and abroad.<\/p>\n

Mrs.\u00a0Darko urged the local manufacturing companies and start-ups to take advantage of this and register their products so they can equally compete on the market.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n