The Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) has launched a high-stakes market entry mission into the Eurasian beauty corridor, deploying a vanguard of twelve premium cosmetics producers to the international exhibition at the TUYAP Fair Center in Türkiye.
Led by the Deputy Chief Executive Officer (DCEO) of GEPA, Mr. Raymond Rashid Kramer, the delegation is transitioning Ghana from a raw material exporter to a global hub for high-value skincare and personal care manufacturing, showcasing at an event that attracts visitors and exhibitors from over 167 countries.
According to GEPA, the mission is to effectively use the “Made-in-Ghana” brand to capture a significant share of the multi-billion-dollar global organic beauty market, making the Ghanaian delegation in Istanbul a calculated commercial offensive.
“Mr. Kramer highlighted Ghana’s growing presence in the global beauty industry and the opportunities for stronger collaboration between Ghana and Türkiye in the cosmetics sector, noting that last year’s exhibition resulted in valuable partnerships and business opportunities”
Ghana Export Promotion Authority
The mission is anchored by the strategic oversight of H. E. Sheikh Abdul Nasiru-Deen, Ghana’s Ambassador to Türkiye, who joined industry leaders from across the globe for the official opening ceremony. This high-level diplomatic support signals to international investors that the Ghanaian cosmetics sector is now a priority pillar for Non-Traditional Export (NTE) growth.
The goal is to move beyond the occasional sale and into the realm of permanent, large-scale distribution agreements that can sustain domestic factory expansion and job creation.
The core of the Ghanaian exhibition is the industrialization of the shea value chain to end the era of exporting raw shea nuts with minimal local processing, forfeiting the massive margins available in the refined cosmetics sector.
The twelve producers currently at the TUYAP Fair Center are reversing this trend by showcasing sophisticated shea-based skincare, haircare, and natural beauty solutions, proving that Ghanaian manufacturing can meet – and exceed – the stringent quality standards required by international distributors.
The twelve producers are expected to convert the high-volume traffic at the Ghana Pavilion in Hall H into signed procurement contracts, to provide the cosmetics industry with primary proof of concept for the government’s value-addition mandate.
Strategic Global Partnerships
The TUYAP exhibition is a global matchmaking platform where 167 nations converge to define the beauty trends of the next decade. For GEPA, positioning Ghana in Hall H is a move to ensure that Ghanaian innovation is not just a participant in these trends but a leader.
The exhibitors are presenting a range of innovative beauty brands that reflect the creativity of Ghanaian manufacturing, moving from simple traditional soaps to complex, scientifically formulated serums and oils. This shift in the product mix is essential for attracting the type of high-tier distributors and investors that Mr. Kramer is targeting.
Through encouraging investors to view Ghana as a strategic business partner rather than just a source of raw ingredients, GEPA is re-engineering the bilateral trade relationship with Türkiye, moving it toward an industrial collaboration, where Turkish manufacturing expertise can be paired with Ghanaian raw-material superiority.
For both countries, the result would be a formidable partnership capable of supplying both the European and African markets, leveraging Ghana’s position as the gateway to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
GEPA noted that the twelve producers represent a diverse cross-section of the industry, from established market leaders to innovative startups that are disrupting the traditional skincare space. Their collective presence creates a cluster effect at the exhibition, presenting Ghana as a mature, organized market for personal care products.
GEPA is acting as the institutional bridge between the domestic factory floor and the international shelf, providing the logistics, diplomatic cover, and market intelligence required to succeed at the TUYAP Fair Center – lowering the barrier to entry for local manufacturers.
The state is actively facilitating the expansion of private-sector manufacturing into global territories. As the exhibition progresses, the focus of the GEPA delegation remains on the conversion rate – the ability to turn a visitor’s curiosity into a distributor’s purchase order.
This requires not just high-quality products, but sophisticated packaging, branding, and a deep understanding of international regulatory requirements. The success of the 12 producers will be measured in the months following the exhibition, as the partnerships brokered by Mr. Kramer and his team are finalized.
The ambition is to see Ghanaian skincare brands on the shelves of major retailers in Istanbul, Berlin, and beyond. This expansion is the only way to sustain the growth of the local shea and personal care industries, providing the scale necessary to justify the government’s continued investment in the sector.
The mission to Türkiye is a definitive step in the government’s support for the Ghanaian cosmetics export sector. Under the leadership of Mr. Raymond Rashid Kramer and with the diplomatic support of Ambassador Abdul Nasiru-Deen, the twelve producers are transforming the global perception of African beauty.
