Deal with corruption within GRATIS — Haruna Iddrisu
The Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, has urged the board of the Ghana Regional Appropriate Technology Industrial Service (GRATIS) Foundation to swiftly deal with issues of corruption within the foundation.
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He said there were some allegations of corruption against management, and urged the board to go the whole hog to investigate and sanction those who would be found culpable.
“I expect that you, as a board, to go through the process of natural justice to give fair hearing to those who are making allegations against others in order to deal with the issues as expeditiously as possible,” he said.
Mr Iddrisu made the call when he swore in a nine-member advisory board to oversee the operations of the GRATIS Foundation in Accra.
Members of the board include Mr Albert Kofi Quansah, Mr Linus Kweku Labik, Mrs Abena Asomaning-Antwi, Mr Johnson Adasi, Mrs Rosemary Shahnoon, Mr David Crentsil, Mr Aylvanus Soga, Mr Emmanuel Asiedu and Mr David Ayinne, the chairman.
GRATIS Foundation
The foundation was incorporated in December 1999. It evolved from the GRATIS Project, which was established in 1987 by the government with support from the European Union and the Canadian International Development Agency to promote small-scale industrialisation in the country.
Minister’s address
Mr Iddrisu said the government intended to position GRATIS to work with the National Board for Small Scale Industries on the implementation of the rural district industrialisation initiative.
That initiative, he said, would be piloted in 30 districts countrywide.
He explained that under the district industrialisation initiative, the industries would be established based on the comparative advantage it had in respect of natural resources for which value could be added.
Board chairman’s remarks
The Chairman of the Board of GRATIS, Mr David Ayinne, assured the minister that the board would carry out its responsibilities diligently, as professionals from diverse backgrounds to ensure that the strategic aims, objectives, mission and vision of the foundation would be realised.
