Ghana earned US$3.5billion from non-traditional exports in 2022, representing a 6 percent increase in the figures recorded in 2021. Cocoa paste and cashew nuts were the leading products, representing US$520.3million and US$294.2million respectively.

The Director of Projects at the Ghana Export Promotion Authority, Mr. Alex Dadzawa, has attributed the success to favourable climatic conditions, deliberate government incentives, among other trade factors.

Participating in an Eye on Port panel discussion, Mr. Dadzawa revealed the growth in cashew numbers is boosted by a strong demand from Asia, citing Vietnam and India.

“Cashew also is a cross-border product so it is also grown in our neighbouring countries, so there is also some cross-border trade in it. That also contributed to shoring up the quantities we did,” he added.

The Director of Projects at GEPA said the inception of the Tree Crops Development Authority “has come to rationalise and sanitise the system for cashew and other tree crops”, helping to increase the export volumes and values of cashew and similar tree crops.

He was full of praise for cocoa processing companies in the country, with notable mention of Niche Cocoa, whose efforts have even earned recognition in North American markets.

He said Ghanaian exports also benefitted from the strong resurgence in consumption rates that followed the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite the promising gains, the Ghana Exports Promotion is not resting its oars, recognising there is much more work to do to meet the ambitious US$25billion target by 2029.

This has led the authority, per its mandate to embark on an aggressive intra-continental promotion of made-in-Ghana products.

One initiative is the establishment of the Ghana Trade House in Nairobi, Kenya.

The one-stop shop business centre, located in Nairobi’s Sameer Business Park, aims to create a platform for Ghanaian exporters to promote their products and services in the East African country.

“Already, trading has started and people are patronising. The good thing also is that it will have a warehouse where the products, when shipped, will be distributed from there. We are very hopeful we are going to get a lot of orders,” he expressed.

Alex Dadzawa said this move is strategic in stimulating increased trade relations between Ghana and the East African region as Kenya serves as the gateway to that market.

The launch of the Ghana Trade House coincided with the Ghana Expo 2023, an endeavour made possible through collaboration with the National AfCFTA Coordination Office.

In addition to allowing Ghanaian companies showcase their products, the conference –23rd to 27th May, 2023 in Kenya – also created the avenue for public and private sector players to discuss the numerous export opportunities that can be explored under AfCFTA.

The official from the Ghana Export Promotion Authority revealed that, indeed, these activities tie into Ghana’s mission to be one of the front-runners of continental trading.

“Only eight countries in Africa have declared readiness to trade under AfCFTA agreement, of which Ghana and Kenya are part. In order not to let these opportunities become one of those things on paper where we sign agreements and not implement them, we thought of testing the waters by fielding a big mission to Kenya,” Mr. Dadzawa explained.