The Ghana Ambassador to Togo, Kofi Mensah Demitia, has asserted that the strategic position and economic diversification of Togo makes it a suitable bilateral trade partner for Ghana.
According to him, trade policies in Togo are very conducive for private businesses. “Togo and Ghana have the best business relationship in the sub-region. This is the only neighbouring country where people walk to work across the border and go home at the close of work daily.”
“It’s important that we build synergy and foster trade ties between the two countries for far reaching economic benefits,” he added.
He said that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has also eliminated most of the bottlenecks, though immigration and custom officers on both ends continue to engage in extortion.
“If we work together, we can harness the necessary benefits of bilateral trade and ultimately become big players in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
“The policy has open the doors, but we need to develop the interconnecting infrastructure and also ensure the youth can easily identify and access cross-border opportunities for economic gains and sustainable growth,” he added.
He mentioned that Togo has a dual carriageway to Benin under construction which holds great prospects to boost trade between the two countries, adding that the road network at the Ghana and Togo end is not in good state.
Furthermore, he called on the Ghana Immigration Service and Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA)-Customs Divisions to work toward reducing the undue delays and bottlenecks along the route.
The ambassador made these remarks when a Ghanaian delegation attending an AfCFTA conference in Lome-Togo, organised by the Ghana International Trade and Finance Conference (GITFiC), paid a courtesy visit to his office.
Assistant Commissioner of Immigration (ACI) Frederick Baah Duodu, Aflao Sector Commander, on his part, mentioned that the high human traffic recorded at the borders on daily basis is a testament to the huge trade potential between both countries.
He emphasised the need to properly regulate and address the trade bottlenecks and eliminate smuggling of goods.
He reiterated the need for both countries to hold deliberations on areas of high value to build upon in order to deepen bilateral trade under AfCFTA.
The Chief Executive, Ghana Highway Authority, Christian Nti, assured the ambassador that the government would ensure the road network gets a face-lift, adding that the route is part of the Abidjan- Lagos corridor project.
