The Trade Ministry has tabled a proposal before Parliament seeking approval to charge businesses for the use of the Made-in-Ghana logo, the Project Manager of the Made-in-Ghana campaign, Saana Nyarko-Dabie has said.
This follows the mass adoption of a Made-in-Ghana logo designed and unveiled last year by the Trade Ministry as an emblem that endorses the uniqueness and quality of goods produced locally.
“We have met Parliament already. We have made that proposal to them and they are considering it. So for now we cannot give timelines. It is a proposal we have made to them that we want to charge people for using the logo. So when they give us the approval then we can start levying the charges” he told B&FT in an interview at the launch of a baking festival in Accra.
Even before Parliament approves the charges for the use of Made-in-Ghana logo, Mr Nyarko-Dabie said business owners or companies that want to use the logo are expected to make contributions in order to help fund the campaign.
“The Made-in-Ghana campaign does not charge fees for the use of the logo. But we encourage people who want to apply to use the logo to make contributions towards the campaign because it is expensive; with the billboards, radio advertisement, TV and other digital advertisement. That is why we encourage people to contribute to fund the campaign,” he added.
Mr Nyarko-Dabie explained that three categories of businesses that qualify to apply and use the logo include small and medium scale enterprises as well as large scale firms.
He said application form for the use of the logo now cost Gh?100 for small companies and Gh?300 for the medium scale enterprise.
“So we encourage people to come forward and use the Made-in-Ghana campaign logo,” he said.
The Made-in-Ghana campaign was launched last year under the auspices of the Ministry of Trade and Industry. The logo has a star in the national colours of red, gold and green on a black background, with the inscription ‘Made in Ghana’ and beneath it is ‘Premium Quality’ in white letters.
It seeks to ensure the quality and durability of Made-in-Ghana goods and services to change the negative perception among the citizens towards those products.
It is also intended to promote high standards and excellence in products and service offerings to increase patronage of locally produced goods. Besides, the campaign aims at reducing dependence on imported products that can be produced locally.
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