GEPC launches book on winning foreign contracts

Accra, Sept. 24, GNA - The Ghana Export Promotion Council (GEPC) on Wednesday launched an export trade services strategy guide book, entitled "Winning Foreign Contracts", to provide information to Ghanaian consultants on how to identify foreign target markets to facilitate export.

The compilation of the book, which was supported by the Commonwealth Secretariat, also contains addresses of target markets and how to win foreign contracts to increase export revenue.

Mr. Edward Collins Boateng, Executive Secretary of GEPC, who launched the book in Accra, said Ghanaian professionals were currently being recruited to offer high quality professional services to foreign companies.

He said GEPC developed the book to help the professionals to their services on the global market.

Mr. Boateng said Ghana's services trade growth was now greater than growth in goods trade and was expected that services trade would represent half of the world's economy by 2020.

"Currently, world imports of commercial services (excluding transport and tourism) amount to $1.2 trillion. Ghana's exports of commercial services total less than $50 million (less than 0.01 per cent of global imports)."

He said it was important for Ghana to increase her global share of the expanding market. Mr. Boateng said the market for the export trade in services was complex and becoming increasingly competitive and very difficult, requiring innovative strategies, which the book would explore. He called for measures to address bottlenecks militating against access of Ghanaian professionals to international market opportunities to ensure the realisation of the potential of the services export sector.

Dr. Osei Boeh-Ocansey, Director-General of Private Enterprise Foundation said the private sector considered the launch historic because it would open the doors of many local firms to opportunities in the services export trade sector across the globe. He called for capacity building and collaboration among firms to enable them to take advantage of the opportunities the sector offer. 24 Sept. 09