Nigeria-Ghana set to foster cross-border trade ---Awolowo

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*Olusegun Awolowo, Executive Director/CEO of Nigerian Export Promotion Council

(Nigeria) Worried by the continuous slide in world oil prices, trade promotion agencies from Ghana and Nigeria have agreed to put in place measures that will facilitate cross-border trade.

Executive Director/CEO of Nigerian Export Promotion Council, NEPC, Mr. Olusegun Awolowo, who led a delegation of officials including Nigeria Customs representatives on a cross-border collaborative visit to the Ghana Export Promotion Authority, GEPA, made the disclosure. The delegation was received by Mr. James Tiigah,  CEO of GEPA and Mr. George Blankson, Commissioner-General of Ghana Revenue Authority, GRA.
The counterpart agencies underlined the difficulty in formal inter-African trade, citing lack of operational synergy, duplication of functions by enforcement agencies as major factors affecting inter-African trade.
Other inhibitions, he noted include numerous check-points, poor transport systems, road infrastructure and non-functionality of ECOWAS Trade Scheme.
Awolowo said, “All Africa needs is in Africa but without proper integration between nations states,  enormous trade benefits are lost. As number one formal trade partner in the West African region, Nigeria has much to gain from and give back to Ghana.
“For instance, as top three producers of cocoa, Nigeria, Ghana and Togo have a lot in common to share in harnessing the product to become one of the major foreign exchange earners in the world.”
Welcoming the idea of collaboration among both countries the CEO of GEPA, Mr. Tiigah acknowledged that non-oil exports alone make up about 12 per cent of Ghana’s GDP amounting to $2.5bn a year.

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