The Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana is insisting that businesses seeking to export products should not spend more than one month completing registration and certification processes with government agencies.
Executive Secretary of the Association, Sampson Asaki Awingobit, said the current system, which requires exporters to move between multiple institutions, could undermine Ghanaian businesses’ ability to take advantage of China’s decision to grant Ghana 100 percent market access.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of a High-Level Ghana-China Zero Tariff Policy Roundtable, Sampson Asaki Awingobit said government must streamline the process through a single digital platform.
“Going to government agencies to do registration of a product should not take you more than one month. We should not be moving from one office to another office,” he stressed.
He noted that prospective exporters may have to engage several institutions, including the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Ghana Standards Authority and Plant Quarantine Division, depending on the product.
According to him, the agencies should instead operate through a single platform where an exporter can submit one application, allowing all relevant institutions to process the necessary approvals, certificates and permits concurrently.
“If you go to Nigeria, that’s what they’ve done. One single platform you put application in. Once you put in one single document, the rest of the institutions that have an interest to issue certificate or permits or whatever or approve for you, they will see it there and they will quickly all work it and then push it back to the same so that it will come to your desktop for you, the business person,” he contended.
Sampson Asaki Awingobit argued that Ghana must urgently address such regulatory bottlenecks if local businesses are to benefit from the expanded access to the Chinese market.
He said while China offers a significant market opportunity for Ghanaian exporters, the country’s businesses also face challenges in accessing finance needed to develop products for export.
“The market is there. It’s not that the market is not there. The population is there. They really need products from us. But registration, approval, certification, moving from one office to another, it doesn’t motivate,” he said.
He further called on banks to develop financing arrangements that reflect the potential of export-oriented businesses, particularly young entrepreneurs.
Sampson Asaki Awingobit proposed arrangements where banks could work with exporters and overseas buyers to reduce the financing risks associated with new export ventures.
He also urged government to introduce targeted incentives to encourage young people to enter export-oriented businesses and increase Ghana’s non-traditional exports.
“We need to encourage our youth. We need to motivate our youth. We need to give them certain incentives,” he stated.
Sampson Asaki Awingobit said Ghana must use the opportunity presented by China’s market access to diversify its export base beyond traditional commodities and increase foreign exchange earnings.
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