Cocoa and cashew exports from Ghana to the US went up by 300 percent within a period of 13 years under the AGOA initiative.
The AGOA initiative has been running for 14 years following its inception in 2000.
It is one of the main topics under discussion at the ongoing US- Africa leaders summit in Washington.
The United States this week officially launched the campaign for the renewal of AGOA.
Early on President Obama said he was optimistic congress will renew the initiative.
Figures on exactly how much cocoa and cashew nuts Ghana was exporting to the US before the AGOA initiative have not been made available.
However speaking at the 2014 U.S.-Sub-Saharan Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum in Washington Secretary of State for the US John Kerry said imports of cocoa and cashew from Ghana have increased by 300 percent under the initiative.
‘but for 14 years, AGOA has been one of the primary tools to push forward greater trade and investment in Africa. And guess what? It is working. We’ve seen imports from AGOA nations grow by 300 percent. Whether it’s cocoa and cashews from Ghana or textiles from Mauritius or petrochemical products from Angola, AGOA has served as a catalyst for greater trade and prosperity, and it’s helped to promote greater protections for the African workforce.’ He said.
By: Vivian Kai Mensah/citifmonline/Ghana/Washington