Prof Douglas Boateng, a procurement and supply chain specialist, has stated that the over-importation of products such as cars and toothpicks is a major cause of poverty and unemployment in Ghana.
“Everything is being imported, and for me this is very unfortunate,” he said.
He made the comments when he joined the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply Ghana (CIPS) to donate 200 copies of his book to the AGI for onward distribution to its members.
The donation was a build up to CIPS’s Compendium which took place at the National Theatre on Tuesday in Accra under the theme, ‘The Role of Procurement In Ghana’s Industrialization Drive.’
Prof Boateng, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Pan Avest International, has explained the issue of over-importation and proffer solutions to it in his new book titled: “Executive Insights into Strategic Sourcing.”
The book is being donated to industry leaders in an attempt to raise awareness about the need to develop more industries in Ghana that can produce goods.
He said that “if you are an industrialized country, you don’t feel these pressures because you can consume what you produce.
“In Africa, we just consume, we don’t produce.
His book calls on all players, including the government, to shift their attention to buying local products.
“Africa and Ghana, in particular, is not poor, there is poverty, but that is because of our own policies. If there is a paradigm shift, we will hopefully be able to start building our industries.”
Seth Twum-Akwaboah, Chief Executive Officer of AGI, said that industrialization is necessary for economic development, adding that when consumers buy products from Ghanaian industries, everyone in the country benefits.
“If we are able to buy more made-in-Ghana products, if we source locally, then we will help improve the economic situation and reduce the pressure on our currency,” he said.
He explained that when a country relies heavily on imports, the value of its currency decreases compared to that of other countries across the globe.
Mr Twum-Akwaboah said that the establishment of industries would create jobs and make products cheaper and retain revenue in Ghana.
<<Print>>