A trade marketing company dubbed “Trade House” would soon be established in Nairobi, Kenya to help introduce Ghanaian products on East African markets.

The initiative is a collaboration between the National African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Coordination Office and the Ghana Export Promotion Authority. 

The National AfCFTA Coordinator, Dr. Fareed Arthur, announced this at a sensitisation workshop for women in the Medium and Small Scale Enterprises industry in the Ketu South Municipality of the Volta Region. 

He said a mega exhibition would be organised to showcase the products and prepare the grounds for the establishment of the Trade House, which would be a one-stop centre for products produced and manufactured in Ghana. 

“If you want to take advantage of the AfCFTA, then you need to get your goods onto other markets, if they don’t know your goods, they cannot buy it”, he said. 

He indicated that the Trade House would serve as an agency between Ghanaian products and consumers in East Africa and expressed optimism that the initiative would boost trade and exports. 

“Having a trade marketing company outside Ghana means that Ghanaians now have more or less a destination buyer, you can confine your goods to the export trade house in Nairobi and they will be looking for markets, they help bring you closer to the market. 

You may be able to strike up new deals and other things. So it opens up the Nairobi market. Nairobi is like the gateway to East Africa, so it a very huge opportunity”, he stressed. 

He expressed satisfaction at the response and contributions from Ghanaian producers towards the continental free trade initiative and detailed that his outfit is working to eradicate financing and logistical challenges. 

He disclosed that banks and other key institutions have been contacted to develop special products to support traders to tap into the opportunities availed by AfCFTA. 

Mr. Arthur, therefore, implored industry players to endeavour to acquire the AfCFTA Certificate of Origin to enjoy benefits that comes with it including reduction in tariffs and preferential treatment during clearing of goods and accessing services. 

“But for traders, you will understand that it is an important thing, the duty element on trade is one of the highest contributions of cost, so that is very significant move”, he said.