The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) is calling on the Government of Ghana to ditch what it calls lip service to its members to diversify into manufacturing to strengthen the country’s balance of trade.

The union says for them to diversify into manufacturing, the Government must make the sector attractive because the current conditions and challenges confronting manufacturing in the country discourage them to diversify their current scheme of trade.

Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Michael Okyere Baafi had recently called on traders in the country to enter into manufacturing to reduce the country’s import levels and strengthen the local currency.

However, the President of GUTA, Dr. Joseph Obeng says, although his members are interested in venturing into production, the government must put incentives in place to make the venture attractive.

Dr. Joseph Obeng said if only the government wishes to lure them into manufacturing, then, “we [the country] have to facilitate things for those who are already in manufacturing to attract others into manufacturing. Once those that are already there [into manufacturing] are suffering, it doesn’t attract others into manufacturing.”

He added that members of GUTA actually want to diversify into manufacturing, but there is little to no information on the goods to manufacture, which is another factor discouraging them.

“We cannot import only and that doesn’t help the course of the nation, and we have to diversify into other things and that is why GUTA members are all saying that we want to go into export also. We want to pause importation and venture into exportation but if you talk about exportation, we don’t even know the goods that we have to export and that is why we are contacting the Ghana Exportation Promotion Authority (GEPA) to aid us in this regard.”