The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) has called for stronger collaboration between government and industry players in the formulation and implementation of policies affecting businesses.
Dr Kofi Nsiah-Poku, President of AGI, expressed concern about situations where policies were introduced without adequate stakeholder engagement, leading to challenges for businesses.
He made the call in Accra at an industry forum on Ghana’s food and domestic tax policies held under the theme “Strengthening Public-Private Dialogue in Policy Formulation.”
Dr Nsiah-Poku said the forum demonstrated a shared commitment to promote evidence-based engagement on policies affecting the private sector.
He noted that while government policies were meant to improve the welfare of citizens, it was important for key stakeholders to be involved in discussions before implementation.
The AGI President said industry players expected government to engage them early in the policy process to ensure better outcomes.
He explained that companies that had already invested in production should be given the opportunity to engage with regulators and agree on realistic timelines when policies were being reviewed.
Dr Nsiah-Poku said recent improvements in some macroeconomic indicators provided hope for businesses, but sustained collaboration was needed to support growth.
He noted that although policies, particularly in the food and beverage sector, were intended to protect public health, stronger consultation with stakeholders was necessary to address implementation challenges.
Dr Nsiah-Poku said AGI was ready to deepen engagement with government and was prepared to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Health to strengthen collaboration.
Dr Joseph Dodoo, Head of External Health Cooperation at the Ministry of Health, said the Ministry remained committed to protecting public health and would continue to work with stakeholders to achieve that objective.
Participants at the forum were also briefed on excise tax stamps, tax incentives and other fiscal policies affecting the industry.
