CONSUME MADE IN GHANA GOODS -Chocho Boss Urges Ghanaians

Alhajj Mustapha Oti Boateng, CEO, Chocho Industries.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), of Chocho Industries Ltd, Alhajj Mustapha Oti Boateng has stated that the number one practical and permanent solution to halt the free fall of the Ghana cedi is for every Ghanaian to be patriotic and consume made in Ghana goods.

He bemoaned excessive importation of goods in to the country whiles urging political leadership to be more patriotic and pragmatic in handling affairs of the country.

Alhaji Mustapha made the call recently in Accra during the 3rd Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Lectures held at the University of Ghana Business School.

``Very often, we complain of the free fall of the cedi and assign all sorts of scholarly reasons to it but it is very simple and straight forward; excessive importation of goods..It is no rocket science. The number one practical solution to the plight of the cedi is for us Ghanaians to be a little more patriotic and patronize and consume made in Ghana goods” he said.

He paid glowing tribute to the memory of the late Tetteh Quarshie who`s single act of utmost patriotism, smuggled cocoa into the country from Fernando Po ( now Equatorial Guinea) has brought about and continued to bring economic transformation to the country.

He observed that many of Ghana`s infrastructure and human resources were built and developed through cocoa, the ``Golden Pod''.

That act by one man he said was the reason for the existence of his company, Chocho Industries which depends largely on cocoa for the production of it cosmetic range of products for both local and international market.

Alhajj Mustapha dedicated his existence and his company to the inspirational legacy of Tetteh Quarshie.

The Chocho CEO urged government to create an equitable tax regime system by widening the tax net to capture other taxable entities to avoid burdening only few established businesses.

He also advocated for the re-introduction of tax-officers (``landpool'') collectors who go round to identify and collect taxes from all who qualify to pay taxes.

This according to him would widen and increase government's revenue base and collection to create more jobs for the teaming youth of the country.

The Chocho boss also advocated for the need to declare 27th March, the birthday of Tetteh Quarshie a national day in his honour, urging the Ghana Cocoa Board to institute a scholarship scheme for the education of children of the Tetteh Quarshie family.

Alhajj Mustapha Oti Boateng appealed to government to renovate the Tetteh Quarshie Museum and Farm located at Mampong Akwapim to make it more attractive to tourists.