The Member of Parliament (MP) for Jirapa, Cletus Seidu Dapilah, has expressed concerns over the government’s plans to ban the land transit of cooking oil.
In a recent interview, he stated that if the government tightens its grip on ports, individuals will seek alternative methods for moving the product.
He emphasised that limiting cooking oil transit to maritime routes would lead to significant revenue losses for the government.
“You will find these oils in the shops which are not coming from the sea ports; meanwhile, you have banned it, so it means that you are losing revenue,” he stated.
Hon. Dapilah suggested that rather than implementing a ban, the government should focus on tightening border controls and consulting experts to explore viable solutions.
According to him, this approach would improve surveillance, monitoring, and checks to easily identify potential smuggling activities.
“The government should establish a number of teams who will monitor these vehicles, check their documents, the goods they are carrying, as well as the dues they are required to pay,” he remarked.
He also highlighted the challenges of combating corruption in Ghana. “For me, monitoring should be intensified.
“In every organisation, we have people who are always prepared to work, but there is one thing about Ghana: anyone who attempts to fight corruption, corruption will fight you back.”
Hon. Dapilah further called on the public to unite for the betterment of Ghana, reinforcing that the president has a vision for resetting the country and that cooperation is essential in making it a reality.
Source: Vanessa Elizabeth Nkum
