Ghana plans to enhance trade relations with Kenya

MARKET:  Ghana has embarked on an ambitious plan to enhance economic cooperation with Kenya and tap into the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

As part of the plan, the West African country is organising a three-day business expedition in May. They will also launch an Export Trade House (ETH) in Nairobi to serve as a one-stop wholesale outlet for all Made-in Ghana products.

Ghana’s High Commissioner to Kenya Damptey Bediako (pictured) said the main purpose of the Trade House is to serve as a one-stop wholesale outlet in the Eastern bloc of the continent for all Made in Ghana Products. “It will also help introduce Ghanaian products strategically into the Kenyan market and consequently promote items Made in Ghana to the Eastern and Southern parts of Africa,” he told Business Hub.  The Ghana Export Trade House is located at Sameer Business Park and will have features like an information desk to source digital information about vendors’ products, appropriate storage space for perishable and non-perishable items as well as a meeting space for potential business partners.  

There will also be working areas for administrative operations and an engaging showroom area to display a wide variety of made-in-Ghana products and digital versions for patrons who would like to take a virtual tour of the space.  In addition, there will be premium advertising space for vendors to promote their products. Currently, finishing touches are being put in place for the completion of the Ghana export trade house in May 2023.  Samwel Dentu,  Deputy CEO, of Operations and Finance Ghana Export Promotion Authority said the products that will come through the Ghana Export Trade House are manufactured by companies like them in Kenya and under the agreement the country is seeking to draw partners of trade.

Private partners

“We are doing the expo to create the conditions for the private partners to meet and get partners to distribute their products in the counterparts countries which will create jobs and also look into other opportunities between them,” he explained.

Kenya and Ghana are the first two countries that signed their AfCFTA ratification agreement on the same day. Last October, the Guided Trade Initiative (GTI) was launched in Accra, Ghana to allow commercially meaningful trading and test the operational, institutional, legal and trade policy environment under the AfCFTA.   So far, eight African countries agreed to implement the African Continental Free Trade Area in Accra last year. These countries are Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Egypt, Mauritius, Cameroon and Tunisia all represent the five regions of Africa.

At least 96 products will be traded under the GTI and the initiative will be reviewed annually to expand the list of countries.