The American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) Ghana, on World Intellectual Property Day is calling on the Ministry of Finance and the Parliament of Ghana to remove the high taxes and duties on software imported into the country in conformity with the World Trade Organization Decision on Valuation of Carrier Media Bearing Software for Data Processing Equipment (WTO Decision 4.1).

World Trade Organization Decision on Valuation of Carrier Media Bearing Software for Data Processing Equipment provides guidance to custom authorities on the valuation of software which should be based the cost of the medium on which the software (data) is stored. For example software information stored on a CD-ROM, will be valued based on the cost of the CD-ROM, according to this WTO Decision.

However, this Decision is not being applied in Ghana. Ghana Customs valuation of software includes the intellectual property component and a number of taxes which sum up to about 42% of the cost of media increasing the price of software on the Ghanaian market.

The increase in taxes has contributed to the high cost of genuine software products available in Ghana, making many software users susceptible to pirated software products which usually come at a low cost. Some industry experts estimate that, at least 80% of all computers in Ghana are running on pirated software.

There are significant risks for government institutions, businesses, and individuals using non-genuine and pirated software. Pirated license does not benefit from online upgrades provided by genuine software companies from time to time to protect against malware and other security viruses. Also pirated software could easily open the door to cybercrime which has far reaching consequences for government institutions, and individuals including system crashes and hacking.

The American Chamber of Commerce is an affiliate of the U.S Chamber of Commerce in Washington DC and the representative arm of U.S businesses in the country. The Intellectual Property Hub (I.P Hub) of the Chamber seeks to advocate for enforcement of intellectual property rights in the country, and works with like minded organizations to raise awareness about I.P issues in the Country.

The American Chamber of Commerce-Ghana (AMCHAM) has held a roundtable meeting with U.S Deputy Trade Africa Coordinator to discuss the role of American businesses in promoting foreign direct investment into the country. Eleven companies in the ICT, Agribusiness and infrastructure sectors of Ghana met with the Ms. Alicia Robinson-Morgan, the U.S Deputy Trade Africa Coordinator

Ms. Alicia Robinson-Morgan is in the country to appraise the status of implementation of the Trade Africa Expansion Initiative in Ghana. Trade Africa is an initiative of the US Government that targets key barriers to trade and investment; and promotes regional integration and trade competitiveness, specifically aiming to increase intra-regional African trade and exports to the US and reducing the time it takes to import or export from ports to land-locked interiors on the continent.

Discussions between AMCHAM members and the Deputy Coordinator bordered on challenges businesses faced
operating in the country which included the proper definition and application of local content laws; contracts and contracts enforcement in light of change of government; and transparency issues in public procurement. Other issues were: the number of regulatory agencies and requirements for operating in certain sectors and the attendant cost of obtaining the required licenses, currency issues and the increasing burden of taxes, fees and charges.

Executive Secretary of AMCHAM Simon Madjie stated that “our objective is to bring prosperity to our two nations through free enterprise and so, we welcome any discussion aimed at improving the business environment and making Ghana one of the easiest places in the world to do business”

About Trade Africa
Trade Africa is a US Government Initiative to strengthen the U.S. relationship with Africa in order to significantly expand U.S.–African private and public sector collaboration to increase trade with and within Africa. In Ghana Trade Africa is supporting the Government of Ghana and private sector stakeholders to implement and be compliant with the World Trade Organization’s Agreements on Facilitation; Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary (SPS) Measures; and Technical Barrier to Trade; as well as to implement Policies and Programs to Facilitate Trade, Investment and Regional Integration.

About American Chamber of Commerce

The American Chamber of Commerce, Ghana is the representative arm of U.S businesses in the Country and was formally established in 1997 to promote trade and investment between the United States of America and the Republic of Ghana. Its main objective is to contribute to the economic development of the country through the creation of a vibrant private sector. The Chamber is also affiliated to the U.S Chamber of Commerce, which is the world’s largest trade association with over three million members and 117 affiliate chapters around the globe.

The American Chamber of Commerce Ghana held its first business meeting for 2017 on Tuesday, January 31, discussing how businesses can better engage with the government to help improve the business environment in the country.

On the theme “How Businesses can better engage with the new Administration”, the meeting was attended by about 112 business people, mostly members of the American Chamber of Commerce as well as representatives of the European Business Organization and officials of  U.S Embassy in Accra.

The guest speaker for the meeting, Mr. Kwame Pianim, the retired CEO of New World Renaissance Securities Ltd, who is also an economist/politician, indicated in his speech that “there seems to be a genuine call on Business for collaboration in a well articulated action plan in the 2016 election manifesto of the new government, there is the desire to get more people to start new businesses and encourage existing businesses to make new investments, to grow and expand”

In his opening remarks, the President of the American Chamber of Commerce Ghana, Mr. Joe Mensah said that “U.S businesses where ready to engage with the new government, to improve the business environment and facilitate more U.S investment in the country to create jobs and contribute to the economic development of Ghana”

Today’s meeting forms part of a series of monthly meetings to be held by the Chamber with support from the U.S. Government’s Trade Africa Initiative.  Trade Africa is a US Government Initiative to strengthen the U.S. relationship with Africa in order to significantly expand U.S.–African private and public sector collaboration to increase trade with and within Africa. The American Chamber of Commerce, Ghana is the representative arm of U.S businesses in the Country and was formally established in 1997 to promote trade and investment between the United States of America and the Republic of Ghana. Its main objective is to contribute to the economic development of the country through the creation of a vibrant private sector. The Chamber is also affiliated to the U.S Chamber of Commerce, which is the world’s largest trade association with over three million members and 117 affiliate chapters around the globe.