Ghana must turn China’s zero-tariff opportunity into jobs, export growth — experts

Trade and business experts have called on Ghana to strengthen local production, promote value addition, improve access to finance, and coordinate government support to enable businesses to benefit from China’s zero-tariff trade policy.

They said improved access to the Chinese market alone would not guarantee economic gains unless Ghanaian businesses developed the capacity to produce competitively, meet international standards, and supply goods in the required quantities.

The experts made the call at the High-Level Ghana-China Zero Tariff Forum 2026, held at the Africa Trade House, which houses the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), in Accra.

The forum brought together policymakers, business leaders, exporters, financial institutions, and other stakeholders to discuss strategies for positioning Ghanaian businesses to take advantage of opportunities in the Chinese market.

Dr. Jabir Mohammed, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS), said collaboration among businesses producing similar goods was essential to achieving economies of scale and improving their competitiveness in international markets.

He said individual businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), often lacked the financial resources, technical expertise, and equipment required to meet the demands of large export markets.

Dr. Mohammed urged the government and financial institutions to support business groupings with funding, technical assistance, and appropriate technologies to improve production processes and product quality.

He also encouraged entrepreneurs to consider partnerships and other arrangements that would enable them to pool resources, expertise, and investment to build stronger businesses.

“If we work in silos, there is no way we can achieve,” he said, calling for closer cooperation among businesses, government agencies, and other relevant institutions.

He further urged the government to develop a practical guide outlining the procedures, requirements, and steps businesses needed to follow to access opportunities under the zero-tariff arrangement.

Dr. Sylvia Sinkari, a consultant and strategic partnerships contributor with the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) Africa, said lessons from previous trade arrangements showed the need to prepare local businesses adequately to take advantage of international market opportunities.

She said many Ghanaian SMEs had not been sufficiently prepared to benefit from earlier trade partnerships, making capacity-building and market-readiness support critical.

Dr. Sinkari disclosed that a supply chain programme was being developed to strengthen SMEs’ preparedness to access markets and meet export requirements.

She called on businesses to organise themselves into sector-based associations, consortia, and other collaborative structures to improve access to financing, technical support, and engagement with policymakers.

She identified the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) and the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) as potential partners in helping businesses organise their activities and access available opportunities.

Dr Sinkari stressed that value addition should be central to Ghana’s export strategy, urging businesses to invest in light manufacturing and the processing of raw materials before export.

“Value addition is a non-negotiable,” she said, emphasising the need for businesses to meet the quality requirements of their target markets.

She said Ghanaian entrepreneurs needed the knowledge, production capacity, and technical preparedness to meet China’s supply demands and turn improved market access into sustainable business growth.

Mr. Paul Frimpong, Executive Director of the Africa-China Centre for Policy and Advisory (ACCPA), said the government had a crucial role to play in translating the trade opportunity into tangible economic benefits.

He said ACCPA organised the forum to promote informed discussions, stakeholder consultations, and the development of practical strategies for Ghana’s economic engagement with China.

Mr. Frimpong said lessons from previous trade arrangements, including the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) with the United States and Ghana’s trade arrangements with Europe, should inform the country’s approach to the Chinese market.

He said Ghana needed to address structural weaknesses that had limited the benefits of previous trade agreements rather than allow past shortcomings to undermine the new opportunity.

He called on the government to help businesses navigate non-tariff barriers, particularly certification, product standards, and regulatory requirements.

He also urged stronger cooperation between Ghanaian regulatory institutions, including the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), and their Chinese counterparts to facilitate compliance with export requirements.

Such cooperation, he said, could help streamline procedures and reduce difficulties encountered by Ghanaian exporters seeking to enter the Chinese market.

Mr. Frimpong cautioned against delaying action until every Ghanaian business had developed export capacity, saying companies already capable of supplying export-ready products should receive support to enter the market while broader capacity-building efforts continued.

On financing, Dr. Mohammed said access to capital and equipment was essential to enabling businesses to expand production, improve product quality, and meet international standards.

He said financial assistance should be complemented by technical support to help entrepreneurs adopt appropriate production methods and satisfy the requirements of international buyers.

Dr Sinkari added that businesses operating through collective arrangements could be better positioned to access funding and technical assistance than those working independently.

The experts also called for coordinated action among relevant government ministries, regulatory agencies, financial institutions, industry associations, and private-sector operators.

Dr Mohammed urged the Ministry of Finance, the ministry responsible for trade and industry, and other relevant institutions to work together to provide businesses with consistent information and practical support.

They said effective coordination would help exporters understand the opportunities available, the standards they needed to meet, and the procedures required to access the Chinese market.

The experts said Ghana’s ability to translate improved market access into higher export earnings, domestic job creation, and sustainable business growth would depend on the country’s readiness to produce competitively, process its raw materials, and develop stronger supply chains.

They urged stakeholders to move beyond policy discussions towards coordinated implementation that would enable Ghanaian businesses to compete effectively in the international market.

The High-Level Ghana-China Zero Tariff Forum 2026 was organised by ACCPA to promote informed discussion and stakeholder engagement on Ghana’s trade opportunities with China.

Source: Joseph Wemakor