Trade Minister calls for value-added services to exporters nationwide

The Minister for Trade and Industry, Alan Kyerematen, says the Ghana Export Promotion Authority’s (GEPA) Impact Hub should be extended to regions outside the capital to help improve service delivery to exporters nationwide.

GEPA’s Impact Hub is a technology-driven export trade information centre set up by the export promotion agency to provide up-to-date export-related information to the exporter community.

It is meant to add value to services the organisation provides to the exporter community in Ghana. These efforts are meant to make an input to the National Export Development Strategy, which has the ultimate objective of attaining US$25.3 billion in non-traditional export earnings by the year 2029.

The Hub, located inside the Africa Trade House building at Ridge in Accra, has computers, online resources, and a library where clients can access export-related information.

Speaking at the launch of the Hub in Accra, the Trade Minister told GEPA: “[My request] is for your leadership to scale up this partnership so that the various regions have a similar set-up to build the capacities of exporters in the regions as well. Over time, together with the regional Business Resource Centres, we would be more than ready to be export-oriented for an industrialised Ghana.”

On her part, the CEO of GEPA, Dr. Afua Asabea Asare, stated that the Hub will save clients a considerable amount of time, energy and resources in accessing information relating to exports.

She also added: “It is our hope and my expectation that we will be able to drive the young entrepreneurs who are aspiring to be the big-time exporters of tomorrow to the Hub, as it also serves as an incubator for potential exporters, especially young aspiring exporters who need guidance and training on accessing trade information. Indeed, they are our primary target because the future belongs to them.”

In addition to the services the Hub offers, key export sector regulatory agencies have permanent desks within the Hub. These are the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), and the Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate (PPRSD) of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.

These three agencies are providing part of their services from the Hub to curtail the time and effort spent by clients moving from one office to the other in search of relevant information.

The Hub is open to the exporter community, with GEPA-registered exporters benefitting from value-added services.