The Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation (MESTI), Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, has pledged to champion policies that promote local innovation and production.
This he said formed part of his agenda to help cut down on the country's rice and poultry importation bill which now stood at over $3 billion annually despite having the capacity to produce them locally, Speaking during a visit to the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), the National Biosafety Authority (NBA), and the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA), he expressed concern over the country's growing dependence on imports.
The visit, which took place in Accra on Thursday as part of the minister's efforts to evaluate the operations, challenges, and contributions of agencies under his ministry and identify ways to align their work with the government's economic and industrial agenda. "In December 2016, we were spending about $500 million- sometimes even less-on rice and poultry imports.
In just eight years, this figure has skyrocketed to over $3 billion.
