Ghana’s involvement in trade – Trade consultant urges increase uphold of individual duties

Mrs Pamela Serena Nantogmah, a trade consultant, has advised stakeholders to uphold individual responsibilities to enhance Ghana’s participation in international trade.

She said it was the synergy of the various stakeholders that would propel Ghana as an emerging state in international trade.

“If the customs officers are doing their checks with the systems they work with, which is the ICUMS they can detect and send alerts, FDA is doing their checks to make sure that chemicals are not put in goods being exported and all that, it will propel Ghana,” she added.

Mrs Nantogmah said this during a training organised by the EU-funded Compete Ghana programme, under the auspices of the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

The 10 training modules are to ensure a smooth implementation of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).

The Compete Ghana Programme offers technical assistance to MOTI in the implementation of the EPA and related accompanying measures.

Mrs Nantogmah said disputes could not be avoided but could be managed, stating that, “if we are doing our checks well and making sure that goods, we send to the EU market meet the required standards, then we can compete at the international market.”

She said so far, the training modules had been of much relevance to the stakeholders, indicating that the modules gave a wider perspective and understanding to what they were already engaged in.

Mr Nicholas Gebara, the Team Leader of the Compete Ghana Programme, said it was vital to build capacities among stakeholders in the trade space as far as trade defence and dispute settlements in trade were concerned.

He urged the participants to avail themselves of the skills and knowledge to be able to develop and drive the enhancement of Ghana’s participation in international trade.

Mr Ibrahim Bawumia Abdul Rahman, Planning, Research, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Ghana International Trade Commission, said as countries entered into partnership agreements, there were rules and regulations for misunderstanding, for disputes to be settled.

He added that, “when that happens, the WTO comes to play, and that one of the key objectives is security and objectivity, so people are guaranteed of redress during issues relating to unfair trading.”

Mr Rahman said going forward, there was the need to work together with the countries they were in partnership with to ensure that disputes were resolved at the primary levels.