ITC holds training for Ghanaian exporters
The International Trade Centre (ITC) on Monday organised a workshop for exporters and trade support institutions to build their capacity on the use of quantitative market scanning methodology and research to operate in potential markets.
The workshop, which was in collaboration with the Ghana Exports Promotion Authority (GEPA), was the first part of a two-phase training session aimed at building the capacity of national trade support institutions to advise companies about market selection and research.
It was sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Speaking at the opening session of the workshop, Mr Stephen Normeshie, Acting Chief Executive Officer of GEPA, expressed optimism that the participants would be able to apply what they learnt to grow particularly, Ghana’s non-traditional export sector.
He gave the assurance that GEPA would continue to seek avenues to develop and promote Ghana’s non-traditional exports at various levels.
Mr Normeshie thanked the ITC for the assistance for the training and added that GEPA had positioned itself to revive its collaborative efforts in export development and promotion with other international agencies.
The agencies include USAID, Agence Francaise Development, Trade Facilitation Office of Canada and the Department for International Development, the United Kingdom aid agency.
Dr Gabriela Alvarez, a Consultant, Market Analysis and Training Market and Research, at the ITC, said opportunities existed for developing countries particularly Ghana to use research tools to identify potential markets and permanently access those highly attractive markets.
As an official English-speaking country, she noted that Ghana had the advantage of using the language as a communication tool to leverage their trade and export operations.
With 45 years experience of working with trade support institutions in over 150 countries, ITC is said to have drawn both best practices from around the world and have a pool of staff expertise in research, analysis, trade promotion and marketing to provide capacity training for targeted beneficiaries.
Mr Emmanuel Quao, Head of Projects at the GEPA, told the Ghana News Agency that the participants at end of the week-long workshop were expected to acquire more knowledge on how to carry out market research, prepare actionable research reports which are relevant to the company’s products.
He said targeted beneficiaries included market analysts from public and private sector, trade promotion organizations, chamber of commerce and industry bodies.
Others are exporting companies and associations with particular preference to small and medium-scale entrepreneurs.
ITC, which is a subsidiary organization of the World Trade Organisation and the United Nation’s Conference on Trade and Development, provides trade-related technical assistance.
Source: GNA