We’ll assist to market made-in-Ghana goods – GEPA boss

Mr Gideon Kwame Boye Quarcoo, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), has pledged the Authority’s determination to assist exporters and the Authority's sponsored exhibitors, in their efforts to market made-in-Ghana products on the international market.

To this end, he cautioned, GEPA would ensure that exporters and exhibitors operated under stringent standard requirements at the international level. Mr Quarcoo gave the assurance at a meeting organized by GEPA to receive feedback on the exporters and exhibitors participation in the activities of the Authority for 2013, especially with regards to trade fairs and exhibitions.

He reminded them of GEPA’s mandate to develop and promote exports, and pointed out that the Authority cannot make any meaningful impact without exporters, adding, ‘’let us succeed together.’’

Mr Quarcoo advised exporters of non-traditional products to orient their practices in order to produce quality goods, reminding them that ‘’there is hunger round the world for made-in- Ghana goods. He gave the assurance that GEPA would revamp its ICT platform for the benefit of exporters.

Mr Alex Dadzawa, Head of Marketing and Promotion at GEPA, said due to financial constraints, the Authority would, this year, organize a limited number of fairs, with a few in the sub-region.

For this reason, he said, only companies which respond quickly to the Authority’s request for documents for exhibitions and fairs, would be considered to participate.

Mr Dadzawa advised them to submit professional corporate profiles of their companies, with pictures of their products and services, adding, ‘’companies should be business – minded or professional, in submitting documents.’’

He further advised them to look for more innovative ways to improve upon the packaging of their products, and endeavour to exhibit a high sense of discipline at fairs or exhibitions.

He said the submission of reports is a requirement for participation in GEPA-organized fairs, and therefore warned that henceforth companies which failed to prepare reports would not be selected to take part in future events.

The Head of Marketing urged them to ensure the prompt and regular renewal of their certificates, warning that only made-in-Ghana products would be permitted to be exhibited at Ghana stands during fairs.

During an open forum, there was a suggestion that GEPA ensured wide publicity on fairs and exhibitions, to help increase customers of the exhibitors.