The Chief Director at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Patrick Nimo, has assured that, the implementation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement by government will aim at boosting capacity of Ghanaian businesses to produce and benefit from the Free Trade.
According to him, regulatory authorities in Ghana are ready to process exports, imports and transit trade that are intended for the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.
According to him, economic operators are on standby to explore trade and investment opportunities under the most ambitious deal.
“The state and various government interventions, such as the One-District-One-Factory (1D1F) programme and credit facilities for SMEs, all aimed at boosting the capacity of Ghanaian businesses and entrepreneurs to produce and benefit from the AfCFTA”.
Meanwhile, in the process leading to the successive meetings to prepare for the commencement of trade which reflects the objectives of ensuring that all member countries put in place the necessary mechanisms to be able to trade from January 2021, the Head of the AfCFTA affairs at the Ghana Revenue Authority, Fechin Akoto, has expressed the country’s readiness.
Doubling also as the chair of the committee on trade in goods and the sub-committee on trade facilitation and customs operation, noted that, countries which will be ready by the January 2021 deadline instituted will gain the necessary support.
With this, he revealed that the meeting would help member countries communicate their readiness for the implementation of the trade agreement.
“We are going to look at items like how prepared the various countries are, what have we put in place in preparation towards the operationalization of the AfCFTA, besides the institutional preparations, and what real things do you have on the grounds. We expect each member country to tell us what they have in place come January 2021; what is there to tell us you are ready for trade.”
The meeting is expected to conclude with a resolution on some pertinent trade barrier concerns among member nations.
Topical issues to be discussed at the meeting includes the activation of the implementation structures; adoption of National Strategies and establishment of National Institutions. It also includes Preparation and Dissemination of AfCFTA Trade Documents, and Awareness and Capacity in the relevant Regulatory Authorities and among Economic Operators.
