Trade Minister Opens Performance Review Workshop

The Minister of Trade, Industry and PSI, Mr Joe Baidoe-Ansah on Thursday opened a review workshop for key players at the Ministry with a call on them to come out with a candid assessment of their past performance in order to help improve the sector. He said it was necessary that any lapses that might be identified during the two-day review should be recognised by the relevant department, without any buck-passing. The two-day review, dubbed "retreat", was being attended by chief directors, directors and other stakeholders of the Ministry. Mr Joe Baidoe-Ansah said a major focus of the Ministry was to ensure the success of the five-year Trade Sector Support Programme (TSSP), launched to drive the nation to middle income status by 2015 with a capita income of not less than 1,000 dollars annually. The retreat would also enable participants review last year's performance of the TSSP and draw a new work plan for this year. "It is not the time to play games anymore because this year is a serious year, and we must achieve results," he said, urging collaborative hard work. Mr Patrick Nimo, Coordinator of the TSSP, said the targets of the TSSP included enhancing production capacity and domestic industrialization, making Ghana a leading agro-industrial country and also to creating a free-port to make the nation an industrial trade hub-within the West-Africa sub-region.