The Advertising Association of Ghana (AAG) has told Citi Business News it will soon finalize activities on the Advertisers’ Bill to be submitted to cabinet.
The bill, which was laid before the previous parliament was not passed before the House was dissolved, requiring the entire process to start again.
Speaking with Citi Business News on the matter, Executive Director of the AAG, Francis Dadzie said the association will engage the Ministry of Trade to ensure the Advertisers’ Bill gets parliamentary approval soon.
“We have plans to meet with the Trade Ministry sometime in February to formally see how best we can push this matter back to cabinet. I know the ministry wanted to consider it last year in cabinet but as it is now, we have to follow up and find out how far it has gone because cabinet has to schedule it and before it can be taken up in cabinet”
The announcement follows an exercise by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) in collaboration with the AAG in pulling down unauthorized billboards within the metropolis over the weekend.
The Public Relations Officer of the AMA, Gilbert Ankrah who spoke to Citi Business News said advertisers who do not have permits should endeavour to do so to avoid punishment.
“Per the new regulations, 2017 is over, so we are calling on all industry players within the advertising sector to reapply for the new permit, so without a new permit for 2018 outdoor advertising agencies cannot do their business,” he said.
He explained that advertisers who have their billboards pulled down for failure to secure a permit will be made to pay the cost involved in pulling down the billboard.
“Those who will go contrary to the laid down procedures in terms of not coming to seek for permits, what will happen is that the assembly will be forced to remove those various billboards and then charge them with the cost of removal”.
Source: citibusinessnews.com