A statement signed by Mr Kofi Asamoah, Secretary, Tema Car Dealers Association, dated Wednesday, 26 August 2020, explained: “This follows a meeting convened by the Minister of Trade and Industry, which was attended by the Commissioner and Senior Officials of the Customs Division of GRA, the Director-General of Ghana Standards Authority and Representatives of the Coalition, as well as the leadership of Automobile Dealers Union of Ghana (ADUG) and Abossey Okai Spare Parts Dealers Association”.
The statement said: “The Minister and the Commissioner of Customs have assured members of the Coalition that their concerns will be addressed during the implementation of the Customs Amendment Act, 2020 and that further consultations will be held in defining the detailed implementation modalities of the Act”.
The Coalition said it “wishes to give full assurance to all its members that they will continue to engage with the government to ensure that their businesses and livelihoods are protected in the implementation of the Ghana Automotive Development Policy”.
The group, on August 23, announced the intended demonstration against the government‘s ban on old car imports.
In its earlier statement serving notice of the now-called-off demonstration, the coalition said the Customs Amendment Act, 2020, which comes into force from November this year, will have an adverse impact on the sector as far as jobs are concerned.
The “protest is to serve as a strong signal to the government that its decision will collapse our business and deprive more than 20,000 artisans of our livelihood if the policy is rolled out on 1 November 2020.”