Ghanaian Customs Officers from 8 different borders have been trained in trade facilitation by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, JICA, in collaboration with the Ghana Revenue Authority, GRA.

The training which was organized in Koforidua on 24^th February 2024, formed the second phase of trade facilitation training for 50 officers of the Ghana Customs.

Ms. Suzuki Momoko, the Chief Representative of JICA in Ghana recounted: “This is the second year JICA is collaborating with GRA to implement the trade facilitation course. Last year, to support Ghana Customs in its quest to strengthen their capacity implementing various free trade agreements, the “Seminar on Trade Facilitation (Phase 1)” was successfully co-organized by the Customs Division of GRA and JICA for participants from eight borders under the Customs Division.”

Dr. Willie Shumba from the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) delivered a lecture on trade agreements and its importance to Ghana and the African economy. Mr. Emmanuel White, a representative from GRA spoke about the various revenue generation policies and practices.

The AfCFTA, if realized, will be the world's largest free trade area with a population of 1.3 billion and a GDP of $3.4 trillion, and will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the global economy. The World Bank estimates that a fully functioning AfCFTA could boost Africa's total exports by 29% and intra-regional trade by 81% by 2035, and increase real incomes by 7%, or about $450 billion, lifting many people out of poverty.

Ms. Momoko noted: “This year’s seminar, we are providing an opportunity for about 50 participants from another eight borders to strengthen their knowledge on the various free trade agreements and their implementation, as well as on emerging topics such as Cross Border Women Traders and One Stop Border Posts. JICA has been supporting African countries to lower the barriers and facilitate trade so that African countries can truly benefit from open trade.”

In December 2022, JICA signed a memorandum of cooperation with the AfCFTA Secretariat to strengthen collaboration and improve trading environments that facilitate the implementation of AfCFTA, including trade agreements that provide major opportunities for African countries.

The Point-of-Entry Officers at the Trade Facilitation seminar were introduced to the OSBP Source book, which was created by JICA together with Regional Economic Communities such as AU and ECOWAS as a compilation of the knowledge relating to trade facilitation in Africa.

JICA developed the One-Stop Border Posts (OSBPs) Source Book and has helped with the operationalization in Kazungula, between the border of Botswana and Zambia, which is considered to be one of the most advanced facilities in the continent. This is an example of JICA’s assistance in trade facilitation and it symbolizes the strong friendship between Japan and Africa.