Hon. Carlos Ahenkorah wants Ghanaian business to prepare.

Mr Carlos Ahenkorah, a Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry has urged Ghanaian businesses to prepare as the implementation of the Continental Free Trade Agreement (CfTA) draws near.

He said when the CfTA comes on stream; manufacturers within Africa could come with their products on duty free basis, which would serve as an enormous competition to local manufacturers.

He was speaking in an interview at the maiden edition of the Ghana-Tunisia Economic Forum on Tuesday.

Mr Ahenkorah said the coming into effect of the Agreement should be a wake-up call for local industry to increase capacity and take advantage of the opportunity to manufacture to meet international standards.

He urged manufacturers in the country to begin building skills in the areas of packaging, visibility and in areas that would raise the image of the country.

Mr Ahenkorah urged Ghanaian manufacturers to take immediate steps to reap the gains and avoid the negative impact of the CfTA when it was implemented.

“Whether the country was prepared or not, the Agreement is going to come into force latest by the end of this year,” he said.

Mr Hatem Ferjani, the Secretary of State for Tunisia Foreign Affairs in charge of economic diplomacy to Ghana, said the country had decided to extend its businesses because there was good systems, transparency, good governance and appreciable rate of growth in Ghana.

He said there was an existing good relation between Ghana and Tunisia and there was the need for the citizenry in both countries to benefit from it.

Madam Catherine Afeku, the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts urged the Tunisian businesses present at the forum to take advantage of the numerous opportunities in the hospitality and tourism industry in Ghana.

She said the dream of the Ministry is to increase the earning possibilities of the sector due to its numerous opportunities.