Minister calls for communication on trade issues in West Africa
Ms Hannah Tetteh, Minister of Trade and Industry (MOTI) has attributed the problems faced in the West African sub-region on trade issues to lack of communication.
She said with effective communication on trade protocols and treaties, many of the problems encountered by traders as well as the misconceptions would be curtailed.
Speaking at a two-day sensitisation and Information workshop on international trade, the Trade Minister said there were series of ongoing negotiations, which the Trade Ministry was engaged in and there was the need for all stakeholders to be informed and sensitised on it in order to be abreast of current issues.
The workshop being organised by MOTI for the stakeholders will be discussing ECOWAS Integration Process, which involves ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme, ECOWAS Common External Tariff, Implementation Challenges of ECOWAS Protocols, Custom procedures and Preferential Trade Schemes.
Others are rules of origin, ECOWAS transit and re-exportation protocol, accessing export incentives, Economic Partnership Agreement, regional integration impact, Ghana’s Uruguay round commitments, status negotiations and current negotiations tracks.
Ms Tetteh explained that the negotiations which Ghana was participating in are so crucial that key stakeholders needed to understand the issues, provide critical input into the processes, and know the outcomes as well as the implications of the rules for the international trade as established.
The Ministry she said would continue to obtain reductions in tariffs and the elimination of non-tariff barriers on goods produced in Ghana for export.
She said MOTI is also seeking reduction in subsidies on products which compete with Ghanaians exports.
“The optimal outcome of negotiation is an all win result, arising from compromises that take into account, critical needs and sensitivities of all parties”, she added.
Mr Amadu Osman, Acting Assistance Commissioner in charge of Suspense Regime, who took participants through customs processes and the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme, urged participants to be conversant with all the trade rules.
Source: GNA