The United States (US) Government, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), has created an opportunity for stakeholders to learn about the new tools, manuals and online portals that are boosting the exports of Ghanaian products.
The opportunity is also to enlighten stakeholders on the tools, manual and online platforms that are generating more income for citizens and helping Ghana to diversify her export base to high value markets.
A statement copied to the Ghana News Agency from the Public Affairs Department of the US Embassy, said the Trade Africa Learning Event, held on Wednesday, brought together Government’s officials and other partners to deliberate on the theme: “Enhancing Ghana’s Trade Competitiveness: Lessons from the Trade Africa Partnership”.
It explained that since 2016, USAID’s initiative; Trade Africa, had provided 10 million dollars to support the World Trade Organisation’s trade facilitation agreement, improved phyto-sanitary standards, helped Ghana overcome technical barriers to trade and supported policies that promote regional trade and investment.
The statement said the USAID had also supported the Ministry of Food and Agriculture’s vegetable export task force to improve quality standards of Ghana’s vegetable exported to the European Union (EU).
As a result, the EU intercepted only four shipments of horticultural products from Ghana in 2017, downed from 330 in 2014, when the EU instituted a vegetable export ban.
Mr Steven E. Hendrix, the USAID/Ghana Acting Mission Director, said the US Government was proud to support the Government of Ghana through increased exports of Ghanaian goods and businesses to the world markets.
He was quoted as saying: “We are working to make Ghanaian goods more competitive and increase opportunities for Ghanaian businesses to participate more fully in global value chains.”
In 2015, Ghana became a Trade Africa expansion country to broaden access to markets and encourage investment regimes.
It was also to enhance a two-way and intra-regional trade, and help Ghana move beyond foreign assistance to a relationship defined by trade.
Source: GNA
