The Ghana Union of Traders’ Association (GUTA) has prior to President Akufo-Addo’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) listed some areas they expect him to tackle.
According to the Union, these areas are of high concern to them and affect their business endeavours.
The Welfare Officer for GUTA, Benjamin Yeboah speaking on behalf of the union applauded the government for the introduction of the stimulus package to cushion businesses and traders in the era of COVID-19.
He however expects the President to introduce a dedicated fund to the union for the benefit of their members. “The stimulus package helped us a lot. But not all our members benefited from this because it was not exclusive to us. We are hoping that going forward, a dedicated fund will be set up for GUTA because averagely, about a half of our membership benefited from the stimulus package”.
Security which has been a major concern of the Union was the next item on their expectations. The Union bemoaned the regular highway robberies they suffer.
Benjamin Yeboah said, “We also want the security services to intensify their work. The constant robbery is worrying traders and when it happens, foreign investors get worried. We want them to check the robbery cases and find a solution to them to boost investor confidence.
He made this known in an interview with Samuel Eshun, host of the Happy Morning Show aired on e.TVGhana and Happy98.9FM.
GUTA also expects the President to give clarity on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) during his address. “We hope the President will eloborate more on the AfCFTA and tell traders, especially exporters the advantages of AfCFTA”.
On his authority, the President should also come to a final decision on shipping lines charging arbitrary fees from importers and exporters. “He needs to touch on happenings at the port and look at how best the situation can be dealt with. Our expectations are many and I believe he will generally talk about enhancing trade”.
President Akufo-Addo will deliver the State of the Nation Address to the 8th Parliament and will be chaired by Speaker Alban Bagbin at 2pm today.
President Akufo-Addo will brief the nation on the present state of the various sectors of the economy following his first term in office.
His last state of the nation address was to the 7th Parliament chaired by Prof Mike Ocquaye on January 5, 2021.
By: Joel Sanco
