Ghana Exports Promotion Authority holds forum on Services exports
The Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) has held a day’s seminar to raise awareness among exporters on the export of professional services in Accra on Tuesday.
The forum marks the beginning of a nation-wide campaign to educate the public on the crucial role of professional services in the export portfolio of the nation.
Services exports in Ghana currently accounted for 8.3 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or $1.07 billion, lagging behind the export of goods, which stood at about 30 per cent of GDP.
Speaking at the event, Mr Kwadwo Owusu Agyeman, Chief Executive Officer of GEPA, said services export could drive the nation to a higher gear to help to accelerate government efforts of reducing poverty.
He said the few sectors such as consultancy services, medical tourism, higher education and business processing outsourcing which were being explored would serve as the launch pad for greater heights.
“Our medical centres of excellence, which have been widely acclaimed as the best in the sub-region, and our academic institutions which have considerable standing in Africa should serve as the gravitating points for medical tourists and students in the sub-region and the world at large,” Mr Agyeman said.
He assured Business Processing Outsourcing and Consultancy firm that the Authority in collaboration with stakeholders would initiate best promotional strategies to get their services across to the global market.
Mr Agyeman said the GEPA had started including services outfit to its trade fair activities and expressed the hope that sectors which were yet to be captured would be roped into the scheme in the near future.
Mr Banda Abdallah, Head of the Services of Export Department of GEPA, said the Authority was adopting a three-prong approach to boost the export of services through awareness raising at all levels, development of accurate statistics and the establishment of a service knowledge centre.
He said the objective was to increase the contribution of the targeted sectors to the overall non-traditional exports over the next five years.
However, to be able to do that, Mr Abdallah said the current focus on goods must shift while an apex body should be established to coordinate the activities of the services export sector.
Source: GNA