The Ghana Export Promotion Authority has held a workshop to sensitise the business community and Metropolitan, Municipal and Districts Assemblies (MMDAs) on implementation of the National Export Development Strategy (NEDS) in Takoradi.
The NEDS is a national strategy with a target of achieving US$25.3billion of Non-Traditional Exports (NTEs) by the year 2029.
“As at 2021, Ghana has been able to reach US$3.3bn out of the US$25.3bn; and it is expected that by the end of 2022 when the data is churned out, we will have reached US$4.2bn,” Mr. Alexander Dadzawa, Director in charge of Project at GEPA, told B&FT in Takoradi during the sensitisation tour.
Topics discussed included: Introduction to NEDS; Positive outlook on NEDS/National Policy; Legal Regime for NTEs; AfCFTA implementation in Ghana; Export dialogue session; and Basic Internal Management System (IMS) toward professionalisation of SMEs in NTEs among others.
Mr. Dadzawa explained that GEPA intends to cover all districts, key stakeholders and players in the industry, with emphasis on Small and Medium Enterprises, farmers, producers, aggregators and the processes of key non-traditional export products, so that they can assist the national effort to transform these products to be ready for the export market.
“As you all know, the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) since its implementation in 2021 with the objective to increase our Intra-African Trade is progressing steadily; so, let us do our best so we can increase more trade among African countries.
Isaac Yankson, Western Regional Director of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, said the sector provides tax-related incentives for manufacturing businesses such as agro-processing, light industries among others.
“It is the duty of the ministry to ensure that the cost of doing business is low. It is also important that we export, especially value added products to grow the economy,” he said.
He pointed out that any industry that is suffering from capital injection needs will be provided assistance by the ministry for it to survive and be productive, and urged businesses to take advantage of such opportunities.
Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, added that exporting is the only way for industries to thrive.
He advised businesses to be courageous and invest their money in order to get good returns. “Over the years, the influx of investments into the region has been overwhelming and densely concentrated.”
He noted that local businesses are very important, given the fact that their activities generate wealth for MMDAs, the region and country as a whole.
“This is a wake-up call for entrepreneurs to gain from the market provided to expand their businesses,” the minister said.
Madam Ursula Tawiah, Western and Western North Regions Zonal Officer of GEPA, explained that NEDS recognises that Ghana must leverage on the AfCFTA secretariat’s siting in Accra to provide leadership in promoting intra-African trade, and seek to become the regional trade hub and a gateway to the continent of Africa.
“Considering the 1.2 billion customers and about 50 percent increase in revenue that Intra Africa Trade will bring us by 2030, trading through AfCFTA with the help of all key stakeholders should be encouraged for this to be conceivable using the various interventions,” she said.
