As the country prepares to listen to the first budget presentation of President Akufo-Addo’s second term in office, various players in the Service, Industry and Agriculture sectors, are looking forward to interventions and policies that will protect their interests.
Eyetcha Ocloo is the founder of The Shop Accra, a company that grants over 300 local Ghanaian manufacturers direct access to market.
She believes government should’ve engaged more businesses to get a clear understanding of their current challenges and opportunities for growth.
“I don’t think there is enough research being done by government to understand exactly what is needed. Nobody has come to ask me questions. Nobody has asked the 300 to 400 businesses we work with any questions. What I would’ve wanted to see before the budget is read was a comprehensive survey on how businesses are faring.”
Some innovators want government to make local solutions more accessible by committing to procuring them for the general public.
Caleb Fugah, the Chief strategist from Dext Technology explains why: “The science set was built right here in Ghana. Ghana has to procure innovations like these to help us train the teachers, so students get access to them and have the kind of (interactive) education we want them to have.”
Mark, the founder of Go City Bicycle is equally advocating for more stakeholder engagement on ways businesses within the tourism sector can diversify as they navigate the economic shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic:
“Let’s get the minister of Tourism and other stakeholders to discuss a new tourism concept that can survive within this pandemic because we still have to pay taxes.”
Stephen Miezan, the 2nd National Vice-chairman of the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce agrees that reviving the tourism sector should be prioritized: “I am expecting a voluminous stimulus package targeted towards the tourism sector.”
Poultry farmers hope the scarcity of maize will be addressed to avoid the losses they made in the last quarter of 2020. The founder of Bara Farms, Philip Appiah Yamoah gives more details: “We don’t operate alone. We depend on other stakeholders like the maize farmers, the soya bean farmers and others who produce the feed. We want policies that will help increase the production of maize and also soya beans production to increase. We import day-old chicks and local hatchery. The prices of day-old chicks have increased from 5/6 GHS to 10 GHS.
While most of these businesses are sceptical the budget will incorporate their specific needs, they are hopeful that provisions will be made to ease the process of doing business as Ghana goes through its second year of the coronavirus pandemic.