The Ghana International Trade and Finance Conference (GITFiC) is set to embark on a research survey, primarily to assess the knowledge Ghanaian private and public sectors have on AfCFTA and their declaration of Accra as the Commercial Capital of Africa.
The survey will take off on February 7, 2022 and take place in selected regional capitals: namely Greater Accra, Greater Kumasi in the Ashanti Region, Takoradi in the Western Region, Tamale in the Northern Region, and Koforidua in the Eastern Region.
Lead Research Fellow Policy and Advocate, Gerald Ekow Woode, told B&FT that the survey will further assess the private sector’s readiness toward implementation of the AfCFTA, as well as provide a comprehensive and reliable information source to help government, local authorities and private economic sectors to build up socio-economic development plans to improve intra-Africa trade.
This initiative, according to him, will generate a diagnostics report that will help to develop practical steps or a road map for addressing the gaps and challenges.
“Africa’s journey toward being an integrated and prosperous continent attained an important milestone on May 30th 2019, with its participation in the Agreement establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
“The declaration of Accra as the commercial capital of Africa by President Nana Akufo-Addo refers to improving intra-African trade in goods and services to accelerate a continental free trade area and transition it into a continental common external tariff scheme.
“This provides a key pathway for regional trade integration as it seeks to improve rural infrastructure and trade-related capacities for market access to transform trade and sustain inclusive growth, and also by enhancing market and value chains.
“As part of the sensitisation, GITFiC will commence a nation-wide survey on AfCFTA and the declaration of Accra as the ‘Commercial Capital of Africa’.”
A call for enumerators was publicly circulated in October and November 2021. More than 800 applications were received from the general public. The 800 applicants were narrowed down to 20 after a rigorous selection process.
The 20 finalists were in December 2021 taken through various preparatory stages. In January 2022, the 20 finalists met all requirements and have been fully certified by us to carry out this assignment.
The two-page survey questionnaire has been carefully vetted to reflect the quality response they expect from the Business Community in these regions.
“Our field enumerators will reach out to about 6,000 Industries, Companies and SMEs across the five selected regions in Ghana. We believe that with a high responsible spirit, available enthusiasm and a strong desire to contribute to the country’s development, the general public will kindly grant our field personnel the audience to fulfil their duties in the various establishments ear-marked for this exercise. The success of this survey will be partly due to the contribution of our field personnel,” Mr. Woode said.
He, therefore, implored the public to cooperate with field personnel for the task ahead.
