The Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) and the Netherlands’ CBI (Centre for the Promotion of sustainable production and trade between low- and middle- income countries and the Netherlands and Europe), have officially signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalise the trade partnership between Ghana and the Netherlands.

The signing ceremony, held at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Accra, marks a major milestone in strengthening economic cooperation in quality export trade facilitation and direct market access for Ghanaian exporters into the Netherlands and the wider regional markets of the European Union (EU).

In attendance at this high-level meeting were Jeroen Verheul, the Netherlands Ambassador to Ghana and representing the Netherlands Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation; Eddison Mensah Agbenyegah, Ghana’s Ambassador to the Netherlands; Francis Kojo Kwarteng Arthur, the Chief Executive Officer of GEPA, and Wim van Heumen, representing the Managing Director of CBI from The Hague, along with the senior management team of GEPA.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Jeroen Verheul, the Netherlands Ambassador to Ghana, emphasised the dedication of the Dutch government in moving bilateral dynamics towards an equal partnership rooted in trade and mutual economic benefit.

He said, “The EU is an important trade market and the Netherlands is an important gateway to the EU. Therefore, this collaboration is essential, especially due to the specific priority value chains of the Embassy in Ghana.”

He also highlighted the strategic gateway positioning of the Netherlands through ports, river transportation, cold chain logistics, and food safety and security, value-addition and the need for this partnership to ease the barriers and challenges faced by both Ghanaian exporters and the Dutch and European importers.

Mr. Kwarteng Arthur highlighted how the collaboration directly supports the Authority’s mandate to diversify Ghana’s economic base beyond traditional commodities like gold and unprocessed cocoa.

“The Netherlands is Ghana’s top destination for Non-Traditional Exports (NTEs). This partnership with CBI is strongly and closely aligned with our ambitious target to scale the NTE revenues to $10 billion by 2030 by understanding importer needs, diversifying our exports, strengthening the capacity of our exporters and positioning Ghana for quality trade.”

Representing the Managing Director of CBI, Wim van Heumen, shared that under this MoU, CBI and GEPA will combine resources to provide SMEs in key sectors such as horticulture (fresh fruits and vegetables), cocoa, agribusiness (PFV) and final phases of the IT/BPO services program. A core element of the partnership is assisting Ghanaian businesses in achieving compliance with stringent European Union market access regulations, including certification and sustainability standards.

The intended purpose of the MOU is to establish a non-binding framework for cooperation to enhance Ghana’s exports through technical assistance and coaching, comprehensive market intelligence, direct business linkages to importers and buyers in Europe, capacity building, trade fairs and strategic partnerships on access to finance.