GEPA strategies to increase market share

Company News of Monday, May 27, 2019

Source: Elorm Desewu

2019-05-27

The Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) has put in place key strategies to increase its market share in export markets. This should attract a lot of foreign currency to the country, which would strengthen the central bank's reserves and improve the country's balance of payments.

As part of GEPA's mandate, it is part of institutional structures and policies that make their operations very useful, particularly in the area of ​​procurement policies and programs.

It has an open door policy and at the same time a policy of market orientation, as well as an international commitment. This has contributed to the growth of its operations for some time now.

It currently supports non-traditional products such as cashews, pineapple, okra, mango, vegetable shea butter, chilli, yam and general agricultural products intended for the world. ;export.

The product of non-traditional exports has been about 2.53 billion US dollars in recent years, although there is potential for mbadive numbers to increase.

Already, GEPA had begun the process of formulating a 10-year National Export Development Strategy (NEDS), from 2019 to 2028, to strengthen Ghana's effective participation in the multilateral trading system. It is also to enable the country to make the most of market opportunities in the short, medium and long term.

This is in line with the government's decision to turn the Ghanaian economy from a commodity-exporting industry into a high value-added industrialized economy through its 1D1 F-based industrial transformation program and other closely related programs.

To this end, GEPA has defined a number of programs for this year and beyond to strengthen trade with the rest of the world. These activities include the development of an exportable product in all districts of Ghana to supply the raw materials and semi-processed products needed to feed the factories currently being established in each district of the country.

Plans are also underway to implement three major programs, Innovative Design Week, which will identify, develop and present new designs from exporting companies to highlight the importance of quality packaging and labeling.

In addition, the innovative export-led mentoring program, which will be implemented with institutions such as NBSSI and universities; and the Women in Export Road Shows, which aims to give women entrepreneurs the opportunity to develop their export business through strategic interventions in their businesses.

GEPA creates strong competitiveness to improve the performance and growth of certain value chains and related services by boosting their contribution to industry, regional trade, exports and job creation.

The Trade Hub for Sustainable Development (T4SD), launched in Accra and Kumasi, aimed to strengthen the competitiveness of SMEs through the implementation of green business practices.

GEPA would increase its badistance to fish processors to improve the quality of processed fish for export. This is aimed at increasing the country's foreign exchange earnings. Discussions are currently underway with the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture for the purchase and distribution of 3,000 "Ahotor ovens" to coastal fishmongers.

It has developed a concept paper aimed at attracting more young people, particularly higher education graduates, to agriculture in order to boost employment and increase production for agriculture. # 39; export. He collaborates with the Agency for Youth Employment for Execution.

The Authority is currently developing the architectural design for the creation of the GEPA Impact Hub. It is a one-stop shop for exporters to access business information online and physically through the windows provided to key export facilitation agencies such as GSA, FDA, PPRSD, etc., in the Export Trade House building.

This year, the Authority supports Joekopan, a large exporter of vegetables, with repayable badistance of 157,000 Swedish pesos, in order to increase its production through the construction of a dam for the first time. irrigation and prepare a visit of the Government of the Netherlands, one of the main export destinations.

In addition, through Srighan Farms, GEPA is helping more than 1,000 outside producers to raise GH ¢ 726,000 to increase production to meet growing demand.

It also supplies more than 9 million smooth cayenne suckers to the Ekumfi Fruit Factory, Ohu Farms, Golden Riverside, Myroc Farms, Beautiful Farms, Premier Foods and Vegetable etc.

The Authority badisted the Yam Development Board with about GHS 350,000 for the development and training of improved yam seed production in Dabala, Volta Region. About 250,000 improved seedlings have been developed and provided to farmers for this planting season.

To improve the country's export base, GEPA has helped more than 250 clients to provide export consulting services on various products: cashew nuts, pineapple, okra, mango, vegetable shea butter, pepper, yam and general agricultural products.

Last year, about 50 products from 20 Ghanaian companies received badistance to obtain approval to approve duty-free and quota-free access to Africa's market. 39 West as part of the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Program (ETLS). It has also helped about 42 companies obtain the ETLS system to increase their access to the ECOWAS market.

GEPA has launched a regional awareness campaign across all national borders to raise awareness in GIFF of the need to ensure accurate capture of export data. This helps track exports and the expected good amount of Forex currency inflows.

In 2018, more than 5.3 million smooth cayenne suckers were produced and distributed to the 17 farm groups of Bomart Farms, HPW Limited, Ekumfi Fruits and Juice, and so on. Ghana Industries Association (CIAG).

From October to November, based on the findings of the pilot project, cashew plantations in the 31 cashew nut districts, representing approximately 30,000 acres of plantations, were processed, which should translate into by a higher yield this season.

GEPA undertakes a number of projects in the craft sector, such as building a common-use shed and supplying equipment to the Abompe Beads Producers Association, building and supplying 3 model centers innovation, design and incubation in Aburi, Kpetoe and Bolgatanga. Treatment of the rehabilitation and completion of the Abrafo crafts center in collaboration with CEDECOM and transformation of the Aburi handicraft village into a modern exhibition center dedicated to international exhibitions. craftsmanship.

Last year, in the services and manufacturing sector, GEPA contacted 230 1D1F companies to evaluate and badist them in their export preparation. He worked with a UNIDO consultant to set up the Market Hub, the award winning market for importers and exporters, which profiled about 120 Ghanaian companies.

It is important to note that the CEO of GEPA has been appointed a member of the Advisory Board of the Trade and Investment Advisory Center (TISI) of the International Trade Center (ITC).

The Authority was granted the right to host the World Organization for the Promotion of Trade (WTPO) conference in 2020 at the last WTPO conference in 2018 in Paris. He also won the WPTO 2018 awards for the best use of information technologies at the WTPO 2018 conference in Paris.

He won the right to host the ITC's Trade Relations Center for Sustainable Development (T4SD). The Hub will consolidate T4SD tools and services by acting as a one-stop shop providing integrated sustainable solutions for SMEs.

The T4SD Hub will provide the technical badistance needed by SMEs to better understand and implement green business practices through its services, focusing on key aspects such as sustainability standards, resilience to climate change and resource efficiency.