Ghana to work closely with Chinese govt to tackle Ghanaian textile piracy

After several calls on government to tackle the widespread pirating of Ghanaian textile designs, Ghana is likely to work closely with the Chinese government as part of a new strategy to combat the importation of pirated Ghanaian textiles from China at the bilateral level.

According to the immediate past Minister of Trade and Industry, Haruna Iddrisu, the Ministry, the Ghanaian embassy in China and the Chinese authorities in Ghana will be engaged to check pirating of Ghanaian textile designs. Also some diplomatic maneuvering will be involved in handling this matter but within the rules and respect Ghanaian laws.

Representatives of the Trade Ministry and the taskforce recently completed a nationwide sensitization exercise to educate market women on the dangers involved in dealing in pirated textiles.

Thus, a 17-member reconstituted anti-textile piracy task force has been inaugurated to flush out traders involved in the unlawful business.

Haruna Iddrissu, speaking at the inauguration of the taskforce said that some compensation would be paid to informants that help in the arrest of the criminals.

The informants would also be rewarded for giving leads to arrest the big fishes engaged in the pirating of local textile designs. He also added that sometimes some conspiracy and collusion is done by some of their own persons engaging and relating to that foreign counterpart to engage in this illegality. The taskforce is expected to commence work effective July 29, 2014.

Mr. Appiah Donyina, the former chairman of the taskforce has been appointed as an advisor to the current taskforce to ensure institutional memory.

The taskforce include representatives from the Trade Ministry, the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana Revenue Authority, the Ghana Standards Board, the Ghana Police Service, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Ghana National Chamber Of Commerce and Industries, the Ghana Union of Traders Association, National Security Council , Akosombo textile limited ,Tex style limited ,Printex Ghana limited , Textile Garment and Leather Employees Union , textile importers and distributors association , association of small scale textile producers .