Mr Edward Kareweh, the General Secretary, General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU), has called for the implementation of a quota system and supportive policies for local businesses.
“It has happened in Japan, South Korea, India, South Africa and many others, where State power is used to support local businesses to grow, and that is the way to solve the problem,” he explained.
He said Ghana gained independence with the quest to develop local businesses and to control the economy, by establishing various factories, but unfortunately most of the factories had been sold to multinationals, having access to the key aspects of the country’s economy.
Mr Kareweh was speaking at a validation meeting and training on collective bargaining and organising in the transnationally owned cocoa sector, organised by the GAWU and the Solidarity Centre, held in Accra.
It also sought to discuss research conducted on the barriers to freedom of association as a fundamental human right, faced by working people and farmers in Ghana, including the need for domestication of ILO Convention 184 on occupational health and safety in agriculture.
He said over-focusing on multinational companies led to capital flight and economic decline by repatriating profits and controlling key sectors of the nation.
“So, if you look at Ghana’s total export, mainly it is more than imports, but most of the companies that export are multinational companies,” he added.
He said it was very crucial to constantly and consistently reclaim businesses and support local entities in Ghana to grow and develop.
Citing the cocoa industry, Mr Kareweh said aside from the COCOBOD, most of the cocoa processing industries in Ghana were multinational companies, which ought not to be so.
“Even the attitudes of government officials, when they need consultants or contractors for our roads, they don’t go in for the local ones.”
“And even in the banking industry, we have through deliberate policies collapsed the banks and allowed foreign banks to flourish,” he added.
Mr Kingsley Ofei-Nkansah, the Consultant, said it was crucial to organise farmers and workers into Unions and cooperatives to defend their interests and ensure progressive realisation of their rights.
He said there was the need to review portions of the Labour Act and Section 79 regarding restrictions on freedom of association.
He said nothing had been done to implement ILO Convention 184 on occupational health and safety in agriculture, which was ratified 12 years ago, hence follow up actions needed.
“Farmers and cocoa producers face challenges in accessing basic rights like maternity protection and occupational safety,” he added.
The Consultant urged the GAWU to design and implement the systematic organisation of cocoa farmers, with the in-built structures to enhance women and youth participation.
He also called for the alignment of union policies with national policies and the Sustainable Development Goals, which formed the fulcrum of any decent work country programme.
