JoyNews can confirm that Government of Ghana is suspending the laying of the controversial Legislative Instrument seeking to restrict the importation of at least 22 items.

The L.I. (Import Restriction Bill) seeks to compel importers of the 22 restricted items, including poultry, rice, sugar, diapers and animal entrails to seek licences from a committee to be set up by the Trade Minister.

The Minority in Parliament have, on three occasions, blocked the laying of the L.I. on the grounds that it was not only dangerous but violated international trade practices and could give too much powers to the minister, a situation which has the propensity to breed corruption. #

The Trade and Industry Minister has been struggling to lay the L.I. after a spirited opposition by the Minority.

According to a highly placed source in government, the decision by government is that the L.I. will no longer be laid in the immediate to allow for more consultation.

Many business associations and the Trades Union Congress, have all spoken against the promulgation of the law, pointing out what they said were obvious deficiencies, while the government, led by the Trades and Industry Minister, KT Hammond, and Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, insisted, it was in the best interest of the nation.

The Ghana Union of Traders Associations (GUTA), the General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU), and a good number of advocacy groups kicked against the passage of the bill which so divided parliament and at one time got Speaker Alban Bagbin and Ablekuma West MP, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful into a discomforting standoff.

Find the full list of strategic imports the L.I. targeted below.

1. Rice
2. Guts, bladders and stomach of animals
3. Poultry
4. Animal and Vegetable Oil
5. Margarine
6. Fruit Juices
7. Soft Drink
8. Mineral Water
9. Noodles and Pasta
10. Ceramic Tiles
11. Corrugated Paper and Paper Board
12. Mosquito Coil and Insecticides
13. Soaps and Detergents
14. Motor Cars
15. Iron and Steel
16. Cement
17. Polymers (Plastics and Plastic Products)
18. Fish
19. Sugar
20. Clothing and Apparel
21. Biscuits
22. Canned Tomatoes.