The National AfCFTA Coordination Office (NCO) has strengthened its collaboration with the Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA) to enhance Ghana’s agricultural value chains and expand market opportunities for tree crop products across the African continent.
The engagement, which formed part of efforts to position Ghanaian businesses to take full advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), focused on improving market access, promoting value addition and addressing challenges that could limit the competitiveness of Ghanaian agricultural products on the continental market.
The discussions brought together officials of the NCO and the TCDA to explore practical areas of cooperation aimed at supporting producers, processors and exporters of Ghana’s strategic tree crops.
The two institutions identified stronger institutional coordination as critical to ensuring that Ghanaian tree crop products are able to meet the regulatory, quality and traceability requirements of African markets.
The TCDA reiterated its statutory mandate under the Tree Crops Development Authority Act, 2019 (Act 1010), to regulate, develop and promote six strategic tree crops.
They are cashew, coconut, oil palm, rubber, mango and shea.
The Authority has responsibilities including licensing industry actors, promoting standards, supporting value addition and contributing to the development of the tree crops sector.
The engagement also highlighted the importance of developing Ghana’s agricultural commodities beyond the export of raw materials by encouraging processing and value addition.
According to the institutions, increasing local processing has the potential to improve the value derived from Ghana’s agricultural resources while creating opportunities for businesses and employment along the various value chains.
A major area of collaboration identified during the meeting was the need to address Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) that may affect Ghanaian tree crop exporters seeking access to markets within Africa.
The NCO and TCDA agreed to work together to identify and address such barriers and provide the necessary support to exporters to navigate the requirements of the AfCFTA market.
The institutions also agreed to designate focal persons who would serve as points of contact for AfCFTA-related activities.
The focal persons are expected to facilitate information sharing, coordination and follow-up on initiatives involving the two institutions.
Another key area of agreement was the need to assist Ghanaian exporters to comply with regulatory requirements necessary for accessing markets under the AfCFTA.
The collaboration is expected to support exporters in areas such as obtaining Certificates of Origin and complying with traceability requirements.
Certificates of Origin are particularly important under the AfCFTA framework because they help establish the eligibility of products for preferential treatment when traded among participating African countries.
The institutions are therefore expected to strengthen awareness and capacity among stakeholders to enable them to meet the relevant requirements.
The meeting also explored opportunities for mobilising financing to support businesses operating within the tree crops value chains.
The NCO and TCDA agreed to leverage available financing facilities, including opportunities provided through the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), to support trade-related activities.
Access to financing is considered important for businesses seeking to expand production, improve processing capacity, meet standards and enter new African markets.
Strengthening AfCFTA Participation
The engagement forms part of broader efforts to ensure that Ghanaian producers and businesses are positioned to benefit from the opportunities presented by the AfCFTA.
The continental trade agreement provides a framework for increasing intra-African trade by improving market access and reducing barriers to the movement of goods and services among participating African countries.
For Ghana’s agricultural sector, stakeholders have identified value addition, quality standards, traceability, financing and access to reliable markets as important areas requiring sustained attention.
The NCO and TCDA are therefore expected to deepen stakeholder engagement and capacity building while pursuing joint initiatives that can improve the competitiveness of Ghana’s tree crop sector.
The strengthened partnership is also expected to provide a platform for closer coordination between government institutions and industry players as Ghana seeks to expand its presence in the African market.
The two institutions reaffirmed their commitment to working together to unlock opportunities for Ghanaian tree crop producers, processors and exporters under the AfCFTA.
The collaboration is expected to focus on practical interventions that will enhance market access, strengthen value chains, improve compliance with export requirements and promote value addition.
It is also expected to contribute to the broader national agenda of transforming agriculture from predominantly raw commodity production into a more competitive and value-added sector capable of generating increased export earnings and employment.
The engagement between the NCO and TCDA therefore marks the beginning of a strengthened institutional partnership aimed at positioning Ghana’s strategic tree crops to take greater advantage of the growing continental market.
