The Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana is calling on government to radically simplify export procedures, insisting that no business should spend more than one month completing product registration and certification.
The Association says the current bureaucratic system, which forces exporters to shuttle between multiple regulatory agencies, risks undermining Ghana’s ability to benefit from China’s decision to grant Ghanaian goods 100 percent duty free market access.
Executive Secretary of the Association, Sampson Asaki Awingobit, made the call on the side lines of a High-Level Ghana-China Zero Tariff Policy Roundtable held to discuss how local businesses can take advantage of the new trade opportunity.
Speaking to the media, Mr. Awingobit said government must as a matter of urgency replace the fragmented manual process with a single digital window that allows for concurrent processing of all export permits and certifications.
“Going to government agencies to do registration of a product should not take you more than one month. We should not be moving from one office to another office.’’
Mr. Awingobit
According to him, an exporter currently has to engage several institutions depending on the nature of the product. These include the Ghana Export Promotion Authority, GEPA, the Food and Drugs Authority, FDA, the Ghana Standards Authority, GSA, and the Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate, formerly the Plant Quarantine Division, among others.
Each institution has its own application process, timeline, and fee structure, a situation he described as frustrating and demotivating for businesses, especially start-ups, small and medium enterprises.
He proposed a unified system where an exporter files a single application on a common digital platform, which is then accessible to all relevant agencies for simultaneous review and approval.
“If you go to Nigeria, that’s what they’ve done. One single platform you put application in. Once you put in one single document, the rest of the institutions that have an interest to issue certificate or permits, they will see it there and they will quickly all work it and then push it back to the same platform so that it will come to your desktop for you.’’
Mr. Awingobit
Mr. Awingobit argued that without such reforms, Ghana will struggle to translate market access into actual export volumes. He noted that China, with a population of over 1.4 billion, presents a huge demand for Ghanaian products ranging from processed foods, fruits, cosmetics, textiles and handicrafts, but supply side constraints at home remain a major bottleneck.
He claims that Ghana has the population to consume products from the exporters. But registration, approval, certification, moving from one office to another, it doesn’t motivate these exporters to really delve into the business.
Exporters Face Major Financial Challenge
Beyond regulatory hurdles, he identified access to finance as another critical challenge facing exporters. Many prospective exporters, particularly young entrepreneurs, lack the working capital needed to produce, to export standards, acquire certifications, package products and meet large volume orders from Chinese buyers.
He therefore called on commercial banks and development finance institutions to develop innovative export financing models that de-risk lending to export-oriented businesses.
Such models, he suggested, could involve tripartite arrangements between the bank, the Ghanaian exporter, and the verified overseas buyer, where the purchase order or contract serves as collateral and repayment is tied to export proceeds.
He also urged government to introduce targeted incentives to encourage youth participation in non-traditional exports. These, he said, could include tax holidays for new export companies, subsidized certification fees, export development grants, and dedicated capacity building programmes.“We need to encourage our youth. We need to motivate our youth. We need to give them certain incentives,” he stated.
Mr. Awingobit said Ghana must view China’s zero-tariff gesture not just as a diplomatic goodwill, but as a strategic economic opportunity to diversify its export base, reduce over dependence on cocoa, gold and oil, and earn much-needed foreign exchange.
He warned that if procedural delays are not addressed, Ghanaian businesses will lose out to competitors from other African countries who have more efficient systems and are also eligible for preferential access to the Chinese market.
The high level roundtable brought together policymakers, trade facilitation agencies, private sector actors, and representatives of the Chinese business community to discuss practical steps for implementation
Mr. Awingobit said the Association will continue to engage government and relevant agencies to push for reforms, including the full operationalization of Ghana’s Integrated Customs Management System and the Ghana National Single Window to cover all export regulatory approvals.
He concluded that streamlining export documentation is not only about China, but about making Ghanaian businesses globally competitive.
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