More than 15,000 jobs are likely to be lost, as government through the Energy Commission has banned the importation of substandard and used electrical appliances.
This came to light when the B&FT visited some businessmen who deal in used electrical gadgets on the Bantama High Street, Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region.
According to the business owners and shop operators, the ‘home-used’ industry employs more than 200,000 youth and has several other stakeholders in the value chain (loaders, repairers and mechanics etc.).
Therefore, banning these products from the market would mean a loss of jobs for those in the value chain, which in turn would add to the already high number of unemployed in the country.
“It entails a lot, the repairers, mechanics, etc. are all going to lose their jobs. If they are going to ban our goods from entering the country, how are these workers going to survive? It is a blow to businesses in the country, because lots of people are going to lose their jobs,” Kofi Boateng, an importer, told the B&FT.
Mr. Boateng further urged government to reconsider the decision as the consequences of this policy might be grievous.
“Government should reconsider its decision, or it could give some limitations; if you ban all these things, it’s going to cause chaos in the country. We already know what some well-known brands in the country are doing. Some of these goods do not use so much electricity. I am not doing this job for myself; I schooled here but my family is in the UK. I opened these shops to provide jobs for some of the young ones in this community.
“He shouldn’t ban it; government has not created any jobs yet he wants to collapse the jobs of individuals. We employ lots of people here. We are pleading with them to allow us to do our work without fear. Announcing the ban has scared many investors from coming into the country,” he stressed.
Joseph Boateng, who also imports ‘used’ television sets, questioned the basis for government’s assertion that the appliances are hazardous to the environment.
“They should explain to us how our goods affect the environment. Our goods and polythene bags – which one pollute the environment more; how can we use huge sums of money to import hazardous goods? The reasons they gave for banning the goods do not apply to the ones we import these days. The televisions, microwaves, fans and other gadgets do not consume so much power and they are environmentally friendly. They are only throwing dust in our eyes. The decision will not help us in any way,” he added.
Another importer, Saeed Solomon Mintah, also told the B&FT that if government does not rescind its decision, business owners and all those in the value chain will hit the streets to seek redress.
