A 16-MEMBER multi-sectoral task force charged with the responsibility for seizing and burning pirated textiles on the Ghanaian market has been inaugurated in Accra by the Minister of Trade and Industry, (MOTI), Ms Hannah Tetteh.

The influx of cheap textile products into the country has contributed significantly to the collapse of many local textile producing companies and further threatens to bring down the few existing ones.

The task force will be expected to visit the various markets in Accra and impound all pirated textiles being offered for sale in a bid to discourage traders from engaging in the illegal activity.

The committee is chaired by the acting Director of the Import and Export Division of the MOTI, Mr. Appiah Donyina. It has representatives from the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, (AMA), the Ghana Revenue Authority and the Ghana Standards Board.

The rest are from the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industries, GTMC, Printex, Importers of Textile and Distributors Association, the Textile and Clothing Industry in Ghana, (TGLEU), ATL and the Tex-Styles Ghana Limited.

Ms. Tetteh, in her inaugural address, cautioned members of the task force against divulging information on its activities to non-members.

She stressed the need for confidentiality, saying that “if the information is leaked, then people will take steps to avoid the task force. Members whose actions will undermine the work of the task force will face the consequences,” she warned.

“These are stolen intellectual properties of Ghanaians and that is why we want to make the punishment stiffer. We will burn them to serve as a deterrent to others who deal in such illegal textiles,” she stated.

Administering the oath of office and secrecy on members of the committee, Ms Tetteh said the pirating of Ghanaian textiles by foreign companies affected not just textile companies but also cotton farmers and a chain of others who dealt directly or indirectly in textiles.

Mr. Donyina accepted the challenge and pledged the commitment of the task force to reduce the incidence of pirated textiles and ensure that dealers were brought to book.

“We see this as a national exercise and we will do our best. Our results will show our commitment to this program,” he stated.

Earlier, Mr. Donyinah and the Metropolitan Chief Executive of the AMA, Mr. Alfred Oko Vanderpuije, had met with textile dealers and producers to warn them of the impending exercise.