Ghanaian producers, workers, manufactures, faith-based groups and other civil society organizations are alarmed by the strong indications that the Trade and Industry Minister, Ms Hannah Tetteh, is pushing for the signing of the interim Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) that was initialled in 2007. This is informed by reliable sources and the Minister’s own utterances. This runs counter to sound technical advice on the EPA, the Ministry’s own policies and even her stance on the trade pact on various occasions.

Speaking at the Ghana-EU Partnership Forum, a fortnight ago, the Minister indicated that the benefits of signing the EPA far outweigh the negatives. Also early this year, right after the ECOWAS Ministerial Conference in November 2011, she stabbed ECOWAS at the back with the statement that Ghana can no longer linger on the idea of signing and ratifying the interim agreement when she granted an interview to the Business and Financial Times in Accra.  However, at the just ended United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in April, in Doha, Madam Hannah Tetteh informed the whole world that the EPA agreement will only benefit European companies.  

We state that it is unnecessary for Ghana to sign this agreement because there are many options to deal with the export challenge and also avoid the disastrous clauses in the interim agreement.  One of them is the Solidarity Fund adopted by ECOWAS Trade Ministers at the last Ministerial Monitoring Meeting in Ghana of which she was the host. The Region adopted it to solve the export challenge, save the regional integration agenda and also as the best strategy against the divide and rule tactics of the European Union.  

The Christian Council talking about the trade pact stated clearly their concern; ‘the effects of a signed EPA agreement will be disastrous to Ghanaians and the nation as a whole. It will lead to the perpetuation of poverty and make the advancement of human dignity difficult if not impossible.  This is an injustice that should not be allowed to happen to the good people of this Nation’, Rev Dr. Fred Deegbe, the General Secretary of the Christian Council.

To continue reading the rest of the release, kindly download the document here: http://downloads.twnafrica.org/Press Release on the EPA-Final Copy.pdf. You can find the pictures of the press conference here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150938669138633.446704.131072278632&type=1

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