Ghanaian Businesses Urged to Tap 300m-Plus ECOWAS Market- Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs

The Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, James Gyakye Quayson, has urged Ghanaian businesses and entrepreneurs to take advantage of the ECOWAS regional market of more than 300 million people.

He said Ghanaian businesses have the opportunity to expand the export of processed agricultural products, pharmaceuticals, textiles, machinery, digital services and other Made-in-Ghana products across West Africa.

Mr Quayson made the call in Accra on Thursday at the national launch of the ECOWAS for All Public Awareness and Citizen Engagement Campaign.

He said many Ghanaian businesses were not taking advantage of the regional market because they lacked information about the rules and procedures governing the movement of goods and people within ECOWAS.

According to him, the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme provides opportunities for qualifying goods originating from member states to cross borders free of import duties.

“Ghanaian businesses could be selling far more processed agricultural products, pharmaceuticals, textiles, machinery, digital services and other made-in-Ghana goods across the regional market of well over 300 million people,” he said.

Mr Quayson said the campaign would help close the information gap by educating traders, entrepreneurs, transport operators and other stakeholders on ECOWAS trade and movement protocols.

The Deputy Minister also urged traders and business associations to participate in the engagements, ask questions and report challenges they encountered in doing business across ECOWAS borders.

He called on transport operators and business associations to help their members understand the documentation and procedures required on different routes.

Mr Quayson said expanding regional trade would require the active participation of both governments and the private sector.

He said Ghana remained committed to regional integration and the objectives of ECOWAS Vision 2050, which places citizens at the centre of the integration agenda.

The Resident Representative of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Ghana, Ambassador Gana Lawan Mohammed, called for stronger citizen participation in regional integration to transform ECOWAS from an institution of states into a community of people.

He said ECOWAS could only achieve its full potential when citizens understood the organisation, knew their rights and responsibilities and took advantage of the opportunities created through regional integration.

Ambassador Mohammed said renewed attention to diplomacy, regional security and coordinated action was needed to achieve the objectives of ECOWAS Vision 2050.

He said the long-term goal should be to transition from an “ECOWAS of states” to an “ECOWAS of people and prosperity.”

Joyce Adwoa Animia Ocran, ISD