The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has instructed the Minister of Trade and Industry, Kobina Tahir Hammond, to amend the proposed import restrictions Legislative Instrument (L.I), which seeks to limit the importation of tripe and 21 other goods.
The directive came after the minister's attempt to lay the bill, faced with several hurdles, in parliament.
The Speaker made the announcement on Tuesday, November 28, indicating that the amended L.I. would need to be presented to the Committee on Subsidiary Legislation for thorough study before being laid before the House.
“Leadership, try to resolve these matters before we move on because we are dealing with instruments. And you know the impact of these instruments; that is why I am saying we should try and resolve it.
“Laying of an instrument has nothing to do with numbers, but because of the nature of the instrument you laid and the constitutional and legal effects of the laying, you better meet and discuss and resolve the issues before we move on,” Alban Bagbin
The Minority in Parliament has strongly criticized the L.I., labelling it as a discredited and a outdated licensing regime where sole power is given to the minister.
The Deputy Minority Leader, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, also expressed concerns about the potential for corruption.
“To go back to a very discredited and outmoded licensing regime that has created corruption... We have gone past that,” he said.
Ahmed Ibrahim, the First Deputy Minority Whip, spoke about the seriousness of the matter and why there is the need for thorough discussions on it.
“Mr. Speaker, the matter is a very serious one that hinges on the survival of businesses in this country. Mr. Speaker, we are not just objecting, and care should be taken. Let’s reflect on the serious issues that have been raised on this floor, and the minority has raised objections. Which of them didn’t go back to come and fight for this country? And this is one of them,” he added.
Parliament had previously suspended the laying of the L.I. in response to objections raised by the Minority.
Trade minister KT Hammond defended the move to restrict importation, particularly focusing on items like tripe (locally known as yemuade).
He justified the restrictions by citing the significant amount spent on the importation of these items, emphasizing the government's efforts to ensure food security in the country.
KT Hammond clarified, "By these restrictions, we are not going to ensure that there's no food in the country at all; that is not the point at all."
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Alban Bagbin, Speaker of Parliament