Waive duties on imported generators for industries
The Managing Director of Sofaamy Company Limited, a leading indigenous glass distribution company, Mr Kofi Somuah, has called on the government to waive import duties on the importation of heavy duty generators by industrial institutions in the country.
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According to him, the move would reduce the cost of operations as they would be saved the ordeal of having to pay huge import duties which also affects their cost.
Mr Somuah made the call in Accra after he received two special honours from the West Africa Magazine Regional Achievers Awards 2015.
The awards are; Best Company – Glass Distribution and Processing and Best Company – Innovation and Creativity in the Glass Sector.
A citation accompanying the awards read in part that “This is in recognition of your contributions to the development of Ghana, through Sofaamy Company Limited, which you built from a small business into a major glass and aluminum profiles company, with landmark projects under your portfolio - in addition to your supply chains of products, as principal exporter of glass and aluminium profiles in the sub-region.”
“We the indigenous industries in the country contribute a lot to the country’s growth because we pay taxes and most of all, provide employment opportunities for many Ghanaians who also feed their families”, Mr Somuah said as he justified his call.
According to him, to avoid an abuse of his suggestion, the government could monitor to ensure that those industries that benefit from the package do not abuse the gesture by importing to resell, but are made to use them for their intended purpose.
“We appreciate as industrialists the challenge the country is facing and we also are aware of the measures being undertaken to bring the situation under control”, he said.
However, he noted that while the government was solving the issues about inadequate power supply, there was the need for it to ensure that industries did not suffer too much to affect revenues from taxes to the state and also worsen the unemployment situation.
Award
Mr Somuah said the company had over the years increased the number of workers to almost 200, working in about eight branches in many parts of the country.
He said through good business practices and strict adherence to customer service and quality of products, “products from Sofaamy are accepted in any part of the country and it is also the toast of many companies in the sub region.
“I know it was through these genuine business practices that we have been recognised and it is my hope that we will continue to do more to reach the rest of Africa and even the world in the near future”, he added.
