Advertisement

Mr Akilu Sayibu
Mr Akilu Sayibu

GEPA upbeat on export initiative

The Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) is upbeat that its ‘one-district, one-exportable product’ initiative is the surest way to boost export proceeds for the country, following massive stakeholder endorsement of the programme across the country.

A Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the authority, Mr Akilu Sayibu, told the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday after engagements in five regions that the stakeholders, who included metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs), planning officers and coordinating directors of the various assemblies, welcomed the programme and pledged to work towards helping local producers meet export criteria and quality conditions.

New target

The GEPA has set out to improve the country’s receipts from exports to $10 billion in four years and is, therefore, employing aggressive practical measures to reach its target.

The measures include promoting one exportable product in each of the 216 metropolises, municipalities and districts and working to make low-performing export products such as cashew better.

Mr Sayibu said stakeholders in all the five regions the authority visited expressed their willingness to take advantage of opportunities under the programme.

“When this happens, it will help boost receipts from non-traditional exports (NTEs) to achieve our new $10 billion target in four years,” he said.

One-district, one-exportable product engagements have so far been held in the Eastern, Volta, Upper West, Upper East and Northern regions.

{loadmodule mod_banners,Nativead1}
 
Other benefits

The programme was also expected to generate employment, especially among the youth, while affording entrepreneurs the opportunity to create wealth, Mr Sayibu, who is in charge of operations at the GEPA zonal offices and the one-district, one-exportable product initiative, said.

According to him, the programme was in line with the National Export Strategy.

He added that since it was the vision of the government to make export a key driver of economic growth in the country, exporters would be supported through training in packaging and identification of products.
 
Identified products

Among potential export products identified by some districts are rice, soya bean, sheanut butter, butternuts, groundnuts and sesame.

Others are Bolgatanga basket, smocks, leather products, wood carvings, drums and baobab oil.

Mr Sayibu expressed the hope that GEPA would reach out to the remaining five regions before the end of the year.

Connect With Us : 0242202447 | 0551484843 | 0266361755 | 059 199 7513 |