The Flagbearer of the All People’s Congress (APC), Dr. Hassan Ayariga, has made a bold promise to the Ghana Union Traders Association (GUTA) to introduce duty-free ports if he is elected president on January 7th, 2025.
At a recent meeting in Accra with the Ghana Union of Traders’ Association (GUTA), Mr Ayariga highlighted the crippling effect of Ghana’s port duties, which he claims are the highest globally, driving businesses to Togo’s free ports and resulting in significant revenue loss for the government.
He attributes Ghana’s high cost of living to the excessive import duties, currently totaling over 25. To alleviate this, he proposes reducing duties to just five, payable in Ghanaian cedis.
This move, according to him, aims to stimulate economic growth, make goods more affordable, and increase government revenue through increased trade activity.
As the founder of APC, Mr Ayariga’s vision for a more business-friendly Ghana aligns with his party’s goals. With his background in accounting and experience in entrepreneurship, Mr Ayariga is confident his policies will drive positive change.
Dr. Joseph Obeng, President of the Ghana Union Traders Association, admonished that the free Port Policy by Dr. Hasan Ayariga is the game changer for the trading community.
According to him, it will allow them, the trading community, to do a projection on the good that they are importing into the country.
He added that the flat rate system will help reduce corruption at the port, and the government can use it as a catalyst to generate revenue.
He seized the opportunity to call on all the flagbearers on December 7th general election to come and sign an MOU with GUTA so they can commit with the promises on the Port.