By Gloria Anderson
The EU-funded Compete Ghana Programme has come to an end.
The program sought to build the capacity of both players in the private and public sectors to help them leverage the economic partnership agreement for better integration into European markets. The Compete Ghana Programme was designed to contribute to improved economic governance and the business environment and to maximise the benefits of the iEPA for Ghana.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the Compete Ghana Programme under the Ghana-EU Interim Economic Partnership Agreement (iEPA) in Accra, the Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, Nana Ama Dokua Asiamah-Adjei, commended the Compete Ghana Programme for being instrumental in promoting innovation, enhancing competitiveness, and creating a conducive environment for businesses to thrive.
She said the Ministry had seen remarkable achievements and progress in various sectors and that the partnership forged between Ghanaian and European Union (EU) enterprises and investors had not only led to the transfer of knowledge and skills.
“It has also paved the way for mutually beneficial collaborations that will sustain well beyond the conclusion of this programme,” she added.
Madam Asiamah-Adjei said, as a beneficiary of the Ministry, they were delighted to witness the successful completion of the impactful initiative that had strengthened the bonds of friendship and economic cooperation between Ghana and the EU.
She said the exchange of knowledge, skills, and experiences under the Compete Ghana Programme had strengthened economic ties between Ghana and the EU and laid the foundation for lasting relationships, partnerships, and mutual understanding.
Madam Asiamah-Adjei said the Programme had been a testament to the power of partnerships, where the EU and Ghana had joined hands to foster economic growth, enhance trade capabilities, and create sustainable development opportunities.
“The programme has revealed the impact of empowering businesses, encouraging and promoting entrepreneurship, and facilitating cross-border cooperation,” she stressed.
Mr Irchad Razaaly, EU Ambassador to Ghana, in a speech read on his behalf by Mr Raffaele Quarto, Trade Counselor, EU, said with the inception of the iEPA between the EU and Ghana in 2016, Ghana’s duty-free and quota-free access to the EU market was legally cemented.
He said the agreement ensured stability, predictability and legal certainty for economic operators trading between the EU and Ghana and gave enormous opportunities for Ghanaian exporters, as the EU market was estimated at over €2 trillion.
Mr Razaaly said since the EPA entered into force, Ghana’s total exports grew exponentially and almost doubled, from €9.5 billion to €17,6 billion in 2022.
He said the EU was consistently Ghana’s second trade partner, with a trade exchange value of around €4.2 billion in 2022, where Ghana exported €2 billion worth of products to the EU and imported €2.2 billion worth of transformed goods, useful for the industrialisation of the country.
“Over the last decade, trade flows have both increased, and diversified, from raw materials to increasingly processed products. The potential of this Agreement is unmistakable, and its opportunities are concrete,” the EU Ambassador to Ghana added.
Mr Nicholas Gebara, Team Lead, Compete Ghana Programme, said the Programme had been working a lot on the capacity building of public and private institutions and agencies, which has yielded lots of results.
He said one major challenge they observed from Ghanaian exporters was that they could not meet the larger orders from the EU because exporters, particularly SMEs were relatively producing small quantities.
The Team Lead encouraged more collaborations between the private sectors in different fields to help one another in such times.
Mr Gebara said the Ministry of Trade and Industry has an advisory council and technical working groups, working on the coordination among the different institutions to be able to continue with guidance and continue developing policies that are business friendly.
A beneficiary of the program, Chief Executive of Sava Shea Company Limited, Ruth Wewura Guribie commended the compete Ghana Program. She was part of the 40 companies trained and schooled on the requirements of exporting to the EU markets.
“The training by compete Ghana has tremendously improved how I package my products now and open my eyes to all the certifications I need to export to the EU’’. Madam Wewura Guribie said she is ready to export to the EU market.
She commended Compete Ghana for creating an E-commerce platform where Ghanaian products like hers can be easily accessible to all European countries. “ I am sad the program is ending but it has helped me a lot, now my business is booming and sales have increased,’’ she added.
