The Vice President of the Traders Advocacy Group Ghana (TAGG), Samuel Asare Addo, has called for the removal of Transport Minister Joseph Bukari Nikpe, accusing him of failing to adequately address concerns affecting Ghanaian traders and businesses.
According to Mr. Asare Addo, the Transport Minister has spent too much time in the ministry and should be reassigned to another portfolio.
“The man, I think, has spent too much time at the ministry. He should be moved,” he said.
The TAGG Vice President also questioned why some challenges confronting traders and businesses should have to reach the Presidency before they receive attention.
He argued that ministers and government appointees are expected to act on behalf of President John Dramani Mahama and should therefore implement the President’s vision in their respective sectors.
“Some of these things should not have to go to the Presidency to be addressed, because the President appoints these people to act in his stead. What the President would do is how they should act,” he said.
Mr. Asare Addo further accused the Transport Minister of being overly influenced by multinational companies at the expense of indigenous Ghanaian businesses.
“And you have a Transport Minister being controlled by multinationals. Where are we?” he questioned.
He alleged that Mr. Nikpe had become more aligned with the interests of multinational companies than those of Ghanaian traders and businesses.
“This man is totally in bed with them. He does not care about the indigenes of Ghana. He does not even know us,” he alleged.
The comments come amid concerns raised by traders and other stakeholders over issues affecting Ghana’s transport and trading sectors.
Mr. Asare Addo also criticised the conduct of some stakeholder engagements, alleging that traders and other participants are sometimes not given adequate opportunity to express their concerns.
He said he would continue to speak out at such meetings whenever he believes traders’ concerns are not being properly heard.
“When they call a meeting, they do not even want you to talk. But for me, whenever I find myself with them, I tell them, ‘Then you shouldn’t have called me. I will talk. I will talk,’” he said
