SMEs Asked to Take Advantage of Export School to Facilitate Trade

By GNA 

October 14, 2023

Mr. Samuel Dentu, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), has urged Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) to take advantage of the export school to learn about the EU market requirements to enhance their trade. 

The school, organised by GEPA, in collaboration with Compete Ghana, which provides technical assistance to the Trade Ministry, is to help exporters to standardise and compete favorably at the European Union (EU) market.

Mr Dentu said the vision of GEPA was to develop the school to the regional level, where individuals in Africa could have access.

|Over the years GEPA had been the pivot around exports and working to ensure that Ghanaian SMEs performed profitably within the sector.

“We encourage many SMEs and businesses who want to play within the export space to come to GEPA to register for the school and learn about the EU market,” he added.

Mr Dentu said this at a press soiree to launch the GEPA – Compete Ghana Export School training programme in Accra, with funding from the EU, under the auspices of the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

The training centre aims at equipping SMEs in Ghana with knowledge and skills required to empower them to be successful players in the EU market.

GEPA, he said, had formulated a comprehensive 10-year National Export Development Strategy (NEDS), poised to elevate Ghana’s export revenue by a substantial USD25.3 billion by the year 2029.

“The inaugural batch of 40 SMEs, embarking on the venture, was a testament to the commitment and aspirations of Ghanaian entrepreneurs to improve on their businesses,” Mr Dentu said.

“Their journey will be a steep learning curve, but it is a journey that holds immeasurable potential for our nation, as they strive to make their mark on the global stage as the forerunners of this collaborative effort.”

Mr Nicholas Gebara, the Team Leader of Compete Ghana, said the collaboration between his outfit and GEPA underscored a shared commitment to fostering the growth and prosperity of Ghana’s SMEs.

It also represented a significant step forward in helping SMEs seize the opportunities in international trade and contribute to the nation’s economic growth.

He said Compete Ghana assisted the Trade Ministry to promote exports and implement the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) of the EU and that would reflect in the four-day training programme.

Mr Timothy Dolan, a Representative from the EU Delegation to Ghana, said the EPA between Ghana and EU in 2016, enabled the country to enjoy duty-free and quota-free access to EU markets.

The agreement ensured stability, predictability, and legal certainty for economic operators trading between the EU and Ghana, placing the country in an ideal situation to take advantage of the market opportunities on the African Continent.

“It enabled Ghanaian businesses to import quality machinery at a cheaper price from Europe to be used for processing products that are Made-in-Ghana and destined for the African market,” Nr Dolan added.

With the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA), business opportunities would intensify, hence the export school, although its vocation was to solidify the participants’ knowledge to export under the AfCTA.

Compete Ghana is supporting the inaugural batch of 40 SMEs from the agribusiness, agriculture, garment industry, amongst others as they embark on this export venture.

It is a leading organisation committed to fostering sustainable economic growth in Ghana, with the initiatives of supporting the development of SMEs and the expansion of export opportunities to complement the efforts of GEPA, a government agency dedicated to promoting export of non-traditional goods and services.