Some business operators in the Ashanti region have called on government to intensify engagements with traders and retailers to help stabilise prices of goods in the markets.

This, according to them is necessary to reduce the high cost of living on Ghanaians.

According to the Executive Secretary for the Ashanti Business Owners Association, Charles Appiah government must implement policies that will cushion local businesses to grow.

He bewailed the 2.5 percent upward adjustment of the Value Added Tax (VAT), describing it as irrelevant.

“Government should re-engage the business community to understand their plight and implement policies to support them. Over the years, we say the private sector is the engine of the Ghanaian economy yet we see nothing. An economy that neglects its businesses will collapse”.

“We need to have honest conversation in all of this because businesses can no longer keep up with operational cost” he added.

He, however said government should find ways of reviving Ghanaian collapsed firms over the years due to economic crisis. To help reduce the unemployment rate.

In addition, Mr. Appiah called for support for an expansion of existing businesses and a stable Dollar-Cedi exchange rate.

“We are looking at government to bring interventions to salvage collapsed businesses. Most of them go through a lot and cannot sustain their businesses and as a result would have to stop operations”

“Existing businesses should be supported by government or even the private sector”, he maintained.