Ghana initiates six projects to increase non-traditional exports

The Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) has rolled out six projects to enable the Authority increase the performance of its Non-Traditional Exports (NTE) sector by 35.24 per cent this year.

The projects include Product Development, Strategic Marketing Agenda and Research, Capacity building for both Export-support Institutions and Exporters, Improved Traceability of Exported Products and a Services Export and Timely Trade Information Delivery scheme.

Mr Stephen K. Normeshie, Acting Chief Executive Officer of GEPA, said this on Monday to journalists at the end of the first session of a week-long training programme organized for exporters and export-support institutions in Accra.

The workshop is being sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the International Trade Centre (ITC).

It is to enable the 25 participating organizations to recognize key characteristics of identified target markets in order to build a value proposition and to position themselves for identified exported products.

Mr Normeshie expressed optimism that the project would enable GEPA to rake in 3.308 billion dollars revenue earnings from the NTEs and help the Authority to attain the target of five billion dollars of NTEs revenue by 2015.

He said in 2011, NTEs amounted to 2,423 billion dollars and out of the 2.446 billion dollars projected for 2012, revenue that had accrued by mid 2012 stood at 1.387 billion dollars.

On the product development project, he said that the Authority would revive the out grower scheme for pineapple farmers in order to support the pineapple industry.

He said management would critically look at the Shea butter industry and take the needed steps towards certification in the European Union market, “taking into consideration the fair trade” policy.

On Strategic Marketing Agenda, Mr Normeshie said GEPA is planning to organise ten different international fairs in strategic markets to showcase made-in-Ghana products.

He said the Authority would organize three market researches in Russia, United Arab Emirates, and Nigeria.

Mr Normeshie stressed that the week-long USAID – sponsored workshop formed part of the Capacity-Building project which is expected to be replicated throughout the regional capitals and some selected district assemblies.

He added that GEPA’s Export Schools, which are funded by donor agencies, enroll exporters and export-support institutions to build their capacity each year.

Speaking on the Traceability project, Mr Normeshie said it was key to increased penetration to the EU markets.

He said the EU Commission had set up product traceability as a strict requirement and added that Ghana risked having her export products reduced if the nation failed to comply with the requirement.

Better traceability, which is the ability to verify the history, location, or application of an item by means of documented recorded identification of products, helps the market surveillance authorities of EU countries to find dangerous products and remove them from the market.

Mr Normeshie said the Services Export project, which is currently being run in the Southern sector, would this year be extended to the Northern sector by the first quarter of the year.

He said timely trade information delivery to exporters would be intensified during the year.

He added that exporters would get the needed information for their business at the Ghana Export Trade Information Centre, an institution established in 2005 to provide trade information and referral services to the business community, particularly the export community.

Mr Normershie who expressed gratitude to the management of Export Development and Agricultural Investment Fund, called for more financial support to enable GEPA to run its programmes.

“We hope to increase and strengthen our collaboration with ITC, USAID and also that of Agence Francaise Development for more financial support”.

Mr Normeshie expressed optimism that the participants would be able to apply what they learnt to grow particularly, Ghana’s non-traditional export sector.

Dr Gabriela Alvarez, a Consultant, Market Analysis and Training Market and Research, at ITC, expressed optimism that the training workshop would help participants to contribute towards making the country expand its penetration in identified markets and to generate more value to her products.

She said the training would discuss five products including cocoa butter, linen, pineapple, palm oil and cassava.

Dr Alvarez said it would also focus on five countries from Europe and the United States.

Mr Emmanuel Quao, Principal Export Development Officer at GEPA said participants would be certified at the end of the workshop based on their active participation in group presentation, online quizzes and regular attendance.

He said the group’s presentation would be done before a panel of jurists selected from both the private and public sectors.

Mr Quao said the workshop was the second phase to a training session organized by both GEPA and ITC during the latter part of 2012.

Source: GNA