GEPA to court investment into transport logistics to boost trade activities

The Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) says it is courting investment into the transport and logistics sector in a bid to improve the economy’s infrastructure to support trade activities.

The success of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which kicked off in January this year, depends on efficient transport infrastructure within and across African countries, said Agnes Gifty Adjei-Sam, Director for Marketing and Promotion at GEPA.

The authority is therefore working with partners to attract investment into Ghana’s transport sector in order to reduce the delays and cost of transporting goods, she added.

Speaking at a virtual investment seminar organised by the Ghana High Commission in Pretoria in collaboration with its Lesotho and Seychelles Consulates, Mrs. Adjei-Sam said GEPA is promoting government’s 17 priority products under the National Export Development Strategy (NEDS), which envisages a growth in Non-Traditional Exports (NTEs) from US$2.8bn in 2020 to US$25.3bn in 2029.

These products comprise processed cocoa, cashew, horticultural products, processed oil seeds, fish and fishery products, textiles and garments, sugar, natural rubber sheets, aluminium products, articles of plastics, pharmaceutical products, iron and steel products, automobiles and vehicles, industrial salt, machinery and components, and industrial starch.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) estimates that AfCFTA will boost intra-African trade by 52.3 percent once import duties and non-tariff barriers are eliminated.