Okyereko (C/R), Feb 16, GNA – The General Manager of the Kantanka Automobile Company Limited, has called for the removal of all physical borders within the African Continent to ensure a smooth operationalisation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Mr Francis Kudzordzi observed that for decades the countless number of borders had been the nemesis of smooth trade among African countries and the “plausible” agenda to create a single market was destined to fail if they continued to remain in place.
“We should unite and when we unite and take off the borders, we can go anywhere. But today, if you are going to Liberia, you will meet so many borders. If you are going to Nigeria for instance, you will meet about six borders before you get to Lagos. We should take off the borders and open up,” he insisted.
Mr Kudzordzi was speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview on the company’s readiness to jump onto the free trade train.
The AfCFTA is a trade agreement to create the world’s largest free trade area for goods and services by connecting 1.3 billion people across Africa to deepen economic integration.
According to the Kantanka Automobile General Manager, his company was ever ready to take full advantage of the pact, but he was sceptical it would work if leaders of the continent failed to unite to demolish the barriers.
“For us, if we have the demand, we will manufacture so we don’t have a problem, we will take advantage of it if it works”, he added.
Mr Kudzordzi said the objective of the company was to move Ghana to the next level of automobile manufacturing.
“We are the eye opener of the contemporary stage of the Ghanaian automotive industry. We are trying to demystify the notion that we cannot do it,” he noted.
Responding to calls on government to insulate the company against competition from global automotive brands in the country, Mr Kudzordzi dissented from the opinion saying such a move would defeat government’s agenda to make Ghana an automotive industry hub in the West Africa Sub Region.
He, instead, requested for easy access to affordable loans to enable the company to compete favourably.
“We started with our own money and so we don’t look up to government for anything. But once the industry is expanding and then demand is getting higher than our capacity financially, that is when we go for loan. Accessing loan to meet demand is a very big challenge, it is not easy”, he stated.
GNA