Ghana’s Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Hon. Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, has held high-level talks with the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Ms. Rebeca Grynspan, on the sidelines of the sixteenth session of UNCTAD (UNCTAD XVI) in Geneva.
The meeting focused on strengthening Ghana-UNCTAD collaboration in trade, investment, and capacity building while exploring new opportunities for partnership in areas of digital transformation and economic governance.
The discussions were part of Ghana’s broader engagement at UNCTAD XVI, where global leaders, policymakers, and trade experts are convening to assess progress on inclusive and sustainable trade systems.
According to the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry (MOTAI), the meeting reflected Ghana’s commitment under President John Dramani Mahama to leverage multilateral cooperation for national economic transformation.
“Hon. Ofosu-Adjare expressed her deep appreciation to Ms. Grynspan for her distinguished service and leadership, spanning more than 36 years in international development and multilateral diplomacy, and commended her for making UNCTAD XVI one of the most inclusive and action-oriented sessions to date”
MOTAI
She further conveyed Ghana’s appreciation for UNCTAD’s long-standing technical and analytical support in key development sectors, praising the innovative conference format that encouraged “interactive dialogue among ministers through two dynamic panels, fostering broader participation and practical exchanges on trade and investment policies.”
Digital and Industrial Transformation
Hon. Ofosu-Adjare reaffirmed Ghana’s gratitude for UNCTAD’s support in promoting e-commerce, investment facilitation, and micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) development.
She briefed the Secretary-General on Ghana’s current reform agenda, which includes implementing the National E-Commerce Strategy and the Accelerated Export Development Programme (AEDP). Both initiatives form part of the country’s industrial transformation drive, aimed at building competitiveness in value-added exports and digital trade readiness.
The Minister, who also serves on the Board of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), emphasized that President Mahama’s administration is prioritizing efforts to strengthen surveillance and compliance at the ports.
These efforts, she noted, are part of “Ghana’s national strategy to combat illicit financial flows (IFFs),” and improve transparency in trade transactions.
“She requested UNCTAD’s partnership in supporting capacity-building initiatives to enhance customs efficiency, improve trade data integrity, and integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) perspectives into trade policy analysis and implementation”
MOTAI
UNCTAD Commends Ghana
The Secretary-General, Ms. Rebeca Grynspan, welcomed Ghana’s proposals and encouraged the Ministry to collaborate closely with UNCTAD’s Director for Africa, Mr. Paul Akiwumi, to design targeted interventions in the areas of illicit financial flows and trade facilitation.
Mr. Akiwumi briefed the delegation on UNCTAD’s new initiatives, including plans to deepen engagement with ECOWAS Parliamentarians on trade-related reforms and enhance support for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) through regional cooperation.
In response, Hon. Ofosu-Adjare noted Ghana’s ongoing consultations with Mr. Kola, ECOWAS Director for Trade, on convening a meeting of ECOWAS Trade Ministers. The proposed meeting will address the harmonization of regional standards and procedures, a move that ECOWAS has already agreed in principle to support and co-sponsor.
Ms. Grynspan acknowledged the complexities of regional integration but underscored its critical importance to Africa’s sustainable development, stressing that institutional coordination remains key to achieving regional and global policy coherence.
Reflecting on lessons from global coordination mechanisms such as the G20 Common Framework, the UNCTAD Secretary-General called for “renewed planning, coherence, and solidarity among developing nations.” Her remarks echoed a central message from her opening address at UNCTAD XVI, which the Ghanaian Minister later quoted to emphasize the shared vision of proactive global development.
“Our future must be planned. It cannot just happen,” Ms. Grynspan stated.
Hon. Ofosu-Adjare reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to work closely with UNCTAD to ensure that trade, investment, and innovation continue to drive inclusive and sustainable growth. The engagement in Geneva represented a continuation of Ghana’s proactive multilateral diplomacy in pursuit of equitable trade and resilient industrialization.
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