Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia met with the Trade Advocacy Group (TAGG), an association of traders, importers and businesspeople, on Thursday to discuss the challenges facing Ghana’s trade sector. The meeting, part of Bawumia’s ongoing policy dialogue series, focused on high and arbitrary import duties, rising demurrage costs, expensive shop rentals, high taxes and difficulties accessing credit.
In a social media post, Bawumia said the traders outlined a number of concerns affecting their operations and proposed measures that could make it easier for businesses to operate and expand. He added that the broader objective of the discussions was to identify policy measures that would reduce some of the constraints facing businesses, expand economic opportunities and create more jobs.
The discussion was generally centred on policies that would solve these problems and make it easier to do business, expand opportunities, create jobs and position Ghana as a trade hub in the sub-region. In recent weeks, trader and importer groups have raised concerns over port congestion, shipping-related charges and delays in cargo clearance. The Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana warned that prolonged delays at the ports could encourage some importers to consider alternative regional gateways, including the Port of Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire.
What comes next is unclear, but the dialogue is expected to feed into future policy proposals aimed at easing the business environment and strengthening Ghana’s position as a regional trading hub.
