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Economic Partnership Agreement between EU and Ghana, enhances opportunities for Ghanaian exporters- Nicholas Gebara
Mr Nicolas Gebara, Team Leader of Compete Ghana, has said the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the European Union (EU) and Ghana reduces trade barriers between the two entities and this enhances Ghanaian exporters’ opportunities for export to the EU.
He said among the Agreement allows Ghanaian companies to enjoy access to EU markets “duty free, quota free”.
“But there are also some requirements that every exporter must comply with, such as EU quality standards and norms, rules of origin and certifications.
In the process of implementing the EPA, a number of public stakeholders are play a key role in guiding the private sector in their efforts to export to the EU.
Therefore the Compete Ghana Programme has embarked on building the capacity of public institutions and assessed the needs of individual institutions to be involved in the effective implementation of the EPA.
Following individual consultations with public institutions, The Compete Ghana programme organised a validation workshop in Accra to discuss training public institutions on key areas of the EPA in Accra.
Mr Gebara said the EPA secretariat at the Ministry of Trade and Industry are monitoring the processes required in implementing the EPA, and that there were joint committee meetings between Ghana and EU to discuss the progress so far.
He said the EU was financing the capacity enhancement of government institutions that were directly and indirectly related to the implementation of the EPA.
“Every institution has a role to play in guiding the private sector on how to enhance their exports to the EU market, and so we have identified and invited thirteen institutions to know the level of skills they will require to implement the agreement efficiently,” Mr Gebara stressed.
Mrs Justina Mensah, a capacity building expert, said it was very important that the Minisgtry of Trade and Industry and the EU support and make the necessary arrangements to facilitate access to the priority resources identified in the capacity needs assessment of the thirteen institutions.
She said the thirteen public institutions should also use innovative approaches to support the capacity development process of their institutions.
Mr Raffaele Quarto, Trade Counselor, EU Delegation, said they were implementing the project to develop the capacity and skills of Ghanaian businesses and authorities to be able to benefit fully from the agreement.
He indicated that the delegation was implementing other programmes on vocational training, agriculture, and other areas not related to business.
The Compete Ghana Programme is in the context of the Ghana beyond aid vision, to improve economic governance and the business environment, and to maximise the benefits of the EPA for Ghana.
It also would strengthen the competitiveness of Ghana’s exports and enhance Ghana’s integration into the regional and international trading system.
Following the validation workshop and the active feedback provided by the participants, the Compete Ghana Programme will be organising over the next months, training sessions on key areas of the EPA to strengthen the capacity of the selected public institutions to support exporters, manufacturers and farmers in increasing production and meeting standards and quality.
The Member of Parliament for Nsawam Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh Dompreh, has expressed concern over delays in the release of the District Assemblies Common Fund, warning that the situation is stalling development across the country.
On his facebook page, he described as a matter of urgent national importance, the Minority Chief Whip pointed to what he sees as a growing crisis of unpaid contractors, abandoned projects, and halted infrastructure works in many districts.
He noted that several communities are grappling with half completed schools, unfinished health facilities, abandoned markets, deteriorating roads, and stalled sanitation projects.
According to him, many contractors who have executed projects for district assemblies have not been paid, forcing some construction firms to demobilise from sites while workers lose their jobs.
He stressed that the District Assemblies Common Fund is not a discretionary allocation but a constitutional requirement under Article 252 of the 1992 Constitution, intended to support development at the local level.
In his view, years of delayed releases and accumulated arrears have weakened district development financing and disrupted projects meant to improve living conditions in communities.
He further argued that some payments made in recent years were largely the settlement of old debts rather than funding for new or ongoing projects, a situation he believes has affected contractor confidence and local economic activity.
He described the issue as more than a budgetary challenge, characterising it as a development emergency and a governance concern.
He therefore urged the appropriate authorities to pay outstanding DACF arrears, settle contractors who have completed their work, and ensure that transfers to districts are automatic and predictable.
He maintained that decentralisation can only succeed when district assemblies receive adequate and timely funding to carry out development projects.
He emphasised that stalled projects directly affect ordinary citizens, since they rely on such infrastructure for education, healthcare, transportation, sanitation, and economic activities.
He called for renewed attention to grassroots development, insisting that national progress should not be concentrated only in major cities but extended to all communities.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Richard Appiah, the footballer who killed two children and stored part of their bodies in a fridge at Abesim in the Bono Region in 2021 has been handed a lifetime sentence.
This was after a five member panel of judges at the Accra High Court returned a verdict of guilty against the convict.
Appiah, 32, also a draughtsman would spend the rest of his life in prison after he was convicted of murder.
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BY MALIK SULLEMANA
