I’ll ban importation if elected President

The presidential candidate of the All People’s Congress, APC, Dr Hassan Ayariga, has stated that if he becomes Ghana’s president, he will totally outlaw imports for 12 months. Hassan Ayariga said the move was necessary to turn the country from import-driven to production-dependent.

Speaking to Channel One TV, the former PNC flagbearer said his motive is to turn Ghana into a major manufacturing hub capable of delivering 24 hours for seven days a week.

“When you turn that country [Ghana] into a production-manufacturing nation, what it means is that we’re going to have an economic lockdown. I’m going to lock down this economy for one year. Nobody is importing anything anymore,” he said on Face to Face on Channel One TV.

Dr Ayariga argued that instead of importing everything, Ghana has to start changing its consumption patterns to favour locally produced goods. He said the country should eat what it produces to avoid importation.

“From the first day I become President, the next year, Ghana is going to experience what is called economic lockdown. What is an economic lockdown? We import to consume, we import to wear and we import to survive. We’re going to lock down this economy and no importation. Right now we have to change our consumption pattern to produce what we eat and eat what we produce.

“We have to change our standard of living; we have to begin to manufacture our clothing. And we have to live in a country where no other country exists,” he told Umaru Sanda.

Explaining further, the APC presidential candidate said putting the economy on lockdown is a step towards making it independent. That he said would help stabilize the Cedi and make more jobs available.

“The purpose of the economic lockdown is to make our economy independent, stabilize our cedi, increase our productivity, increase job creation.”