Government is currently developing a national strategy on the Export Sector as part of processes for the full implementation of the Interim Economic Partnership Agreements (iEPAs).
The Strategy will among other things develop capacity building programmes for Exporters under the iEPAs.
Chairman of the European Union (EU) Parliament’s Committee on International Trade (INTA), Bernd Lang, disclosed this at a media briefing in Accra, Friday, following a two-day working visit to Ghana.
“The government is presenting the national EPA strategy which gives clear indication how we have to organise the capacity building for the export sector and which bureaucratic burdens are still there so that at the end of the day the possibilities for exporters from Ghana are not only paper work but becoming a reality”.
About iEPA
Ghana signed unto, and subsequently ratified the iEPA in August, 2016 following delays at the ECOWAS level for a sub regional package. The iEPA in effect, allowed Ghanaian exporters duty-free access to the EU market on processed cocoa products, fruit and vegetable products, and fish. Exporters within the European Union market in turn gained duty free access to the Ghanaian market.
Some sections of the Ghanaian Business community and the Civil Society however, continue to campaign against the Agreements. They have variously argued that the Agreements pose a greater threat to the African market than they encourage productivity.
The Third World Network has particularly argued in a Citi Business News interview that “The EPA will lead to a loss of jobs and other means of livelihood…In the manufacturing and other industrial sectors, the EPA will cost about 40,000 jobs in ten years. We also anticipate that there will be a collapse of domestic industry especially in the manufacturing sector…”
Bernd Lang however insisted that Ghana stood to benefit immensely from the agreements. For the benefits to be achieved however, he maintained that government must invest in trade within the continent.
“The Deal is good. The question is how can Ghana get the best out of it? You have to develop trade and use the deal to attract investors to Ghana. You should also use ECOWAS to break down barriers in the local market. Ghana should trade more with its partners but also trade with the European Union. There is a huge demand in Europe for products from Ghana, and Europe continues to be the main importer of [Ghana produce] today”.
Mr. Lang acknowledged that “Government is reflecting seriously on the benefits of the EPAs” and encouraged a focus on trade and foreign investment as a means to enjoying the full benefits of the EPA.
The visiting 13-member delegation of the European Union (EU) Parliamentary Committee on Trade held talks with their Ghana counterparts on trade between Ghana and the European common market.
–
By: Sixtus Dong Ullo/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @sixtus_gh