Features
Maximising business opportunities available under the AfCFTA
Five villages, namely, Menpeasem, Abuburo, Bankyeasa, Suronipa, and Nkwaepa previously existed as independent towns not having anything to do with one another during which time they encountered difficulties in their socio-economic development. The difficulties they encountered taught them one lesson, that is, the need to come together and cooperate in a way that will help them to pursue their common agenda of economic development. African countries have been struggling over the years to find a lasting solution to the problem of coming together in a form of unity to promote their continental interest, having failed in a way to successfully set up Organisation of African Unity (OAU) which has now become the African Union (AU). Despite this, not much has been achieved by way of continental economic development for which reason African countries have found the need to set up the largest trading bloc in the world. This bloc, if successful, will be to the benefit of African countries since it will promote huge volumes of trade among the countries on the continent.
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
In other words, one great business opportunity provided under the African Continental Free Trade Area is the platform provided for all businessmen and women on the continent to take advantage of the situation and transact business with their counterparts from other parts of the continent. The potential benefits of the bloc have been belaboured time and again and what is left now is to put it into full practice for the entire benefit of Africa. This business opportunity has come at a time when African countries are expected to transact business among their own selves and thereby maximise benefits that can accrue from business transactions with one another. In terms of resources, Africa is a rich continent but in terms of exploitation of these resources for the benefit of its people, the continent is found to be lagging behind the rest of the world. With the formation of the continental free trade, Africa stands a chance of encouraging its business entities to rise to the occasion and maximise benefits from within Africa through intra African trade rather than through business transactions with other parts of the world even though such business transactions are also important.
TRADING WITH OTHER COUNTRIES
Trading with countries outside Africa is good but the point being made is that the continent of Africa provides a huge opportunity for countries on the continent to align themselves with one another and promote trade among themselves. If this is done economic growth will take place within the continent and thereby help in the promotion of economic growth for all Africans. This is one fact that cannot be run away from, and all African countries must remain committed to this truth. Such commitment to intra African trade is what is needed by all countries in the continent to generate internally induced economic growth. It is this growth that is needed to improve upon the welfare of people on the continent and to make life better than it is today for all Africans. However, to be able to generate internally generated growth and make life better for people on the continent, African businessmen and women ought to keep to the use of applicable standards. It is the use of such relevant applicable standards that will help business entities on the continent to take advantage of the continental free trade.
STANDARDS AND SPECIFICATIONS
Applicable standards are meant to ensure uniformity of standards and specification so that the characteristics of imported products to any African country will be the same irrespective of where it is imported from. This will make all forms of products fit- for- purpose and ensure fairness in trade as well as promotion of large volumes of trade on the continent. A standard serves as a guide for businesses to do what is right and avoid unacceptable practices.
Such guiding principles and practices as approved by national standards bodies kept in form of a document, in form of rules, guidelines or characteristics for products and their related processes or production methods. Compliance with relevant standards implies that for whatever is produced for a market, be it local or international, the applicable standards will have to be obtained and applied to the products or processes concerned. What this means is that any business entity that wants to produce soap, textiles, footwear and food items ought to look for the relevant standards and apply them in their production process. Companies that have been able to do this supply goods not only to local markets, but also foreign or international markets. The time has, therefore, come for business entities in the country not to go about production in the same old ways of doing things but explore new areas in the application of standards to make them more competitive in the local and international markets.
FIGHTING FOR TRADE SECRETARIAT
The President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has done everything he can to ensure that the Continental Free Trade Secretariat is set up in the country. This will come with several benefits to the nation, but more benefits can be derived, if business entities in Ghana here explore greater opportunities in terms of applying relevant standards so as to make themselves highly competitive in local and international markets on any part of the continent in order to bring in the needed revenue for economic growth. Even though the African trade bloc is important to the continent, we can only make adequate use of it if we focus on applicable standards in whatever is produced or manufactured for neighbouring countries. Without this there will be disagreements and trade dispute among the countries on the continent.
AVOIDING TRADE DISPUTES
Trading blocs in various parts of the world that are functioning well and promoting the interest of their bloc members often encounter disputes with one another or among themselves even when standards are being adhered to. If these standards are not adhered to by members of any trading bloc, the result will be a tremendous rise in trade related issues. This explains why African countries must pay attention to applicable standards and ensure that there is uniformity of purpose as far as trade with one another is concerned. Seen in this light, it will not be automatic for Ghanaians to just export their products to any parts of the African market but to ensure that all outputs conform to relevant standards, processes and systems to ensure quality as well as safety, good health and protection of the environment for consumers of these products. This is achievable, so all Ghanaian business entities as well as others operating in the country must make themselves relevant through application of standards and systems in line with best international practices.
Walk into any supermarket in Accra, Kumasi, or Tamale today, and you will see the modern Ghanaian diet packaged as ‘progress.’ You will see breakfast cereals with cartoon mascots, fruit drinks that are mostly sugar and colour, and snacks promising energy and happiness in bright fonts.
Even products loaded with salt and unhealthy fats often wear a health halo labeled as fortified or natural, while the real nutritional risk is hidden in tiny print on the back. This is not just a consumer inconvenience; it is a public health blind spot. Ghana is living through a silent surge of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like hypertension, diabetes, and stroke.
These conditions quietly drain household income and steal productive years. According to the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates, NCDs are now responsible for nearly 45 per cent of all deaths in Ghana.
We cannot build a healthy nation on a food environment designed to confuse people at the point of purchase. Ghana must mandate simple front-of-pack warning labels (FOPWL) on high-sugar, high-salt, and high-fat packaged foods because consumers deserve truth at a glance, and industry must be pushed to reformulate.
Why Back-of-Pack Labels Are Not Enough
In theory, consumers can read nutrition panels. In reality, most Ghanaians shop under pressure, limited time, rising prices, and children tugging at their sleeves. The back label is a relic that requires a high cognitive load to interpret—essentially, the seller knows what is inside, but the buyer cannot easily tell.
This ‘information asymmetry’ is not fair. It is not consumer choice when the information needed to choose well is deliberately difficult to find.
Simple warning labels like the black octagons used in the Chilean Model act as a ‘stop-and-think’ nudge. They do not ban products but they simply tell the truth so people can decide.
Reshaping Our Food Environment
A generation ago, Ghana’s meals were mostly home-prepared, like kenkey and banku with soups and stews. Today, ultra-processed foods have become the norm, especially in urban areas. Children are growing up with sugary drinks and salty snacks as everyday items, not occasional treats.
If Ghana is serious about prevention, we must act where decisions are made—thus, the shelf. Warning labels protect parents from sugar traps and pressure the market to improve. When warning labels are mandatory, manufacturers start to compete to make healthier recipes to avoid the stigma of the label.
Addressing the Pushback
Industry will argue that labels create fear or that education alone is enough. However, health education is slow; labels work immediately. While the informal street food sector is a challenge, regulating pre-packaged goods is the practical starting point because the supply chain is traceable. We cannot wait until the whole system is perfect; we must start where action is feasible.
A 2026 Implementation Roadmap for Ghana
To move from talk to action, Ghana needs this 5-step plan:
- Issue mandatory regulation: The Ministry of Health, Food and Drug Authority (FDA), and Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) must define the label format and nutrient thresholds for all pre-packaged foods.
- Simple, bold symbols: Use plain language and clear symbols, such as “HIGH IN SUGAR,” designed for busy families, not experts.
- Transparent thresholds: Adopt technically defensible standards adapted to the Ghanaian diet.
- Transition and enforce: Provide a 12–18 month period for manufacturers to reformulate, followed by firm enforcement at ports and retail centers.
- National literacy campaign: The Ghana Health Service must pair labels with public messages explaining why high salt or sugar increases disease risk.
Conclusion: Truth Is Not a Luxury
Prevention is cheaper than treatment. A warning label costs little compared to the price of dialysis, stroke rehabilitation, or lifelong diabetes complications. A black octagon on a box of biscuits is more than a label; it is a shield for the health of all Ghanaians. It is time to put the truth where we can see it, right on the front.
By Abigail Amoah Sarfo
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Natives of the Kenkey Kingdom were mad with joy. They were still recovering from the hangover of the kingdom’s loss of the African Cup when their spirits were rekindled. Their great warrior, Zoom Zoom, stormed Melbourne and made sure that every Australian refused food. And that was after he had drawn contour lines on the face of their idol, Jeff Fenech.
Not only did the terrible warrior transform Old Boy Jeff’s face into a contour map useful for geography lessons, but he also accomplished the feat of retaining the much-envied super-kenkeyweight title against all odds. The warrior had not been eating hot kenkey for nothing.
The Fight Against Fenech
When Jeff Fenech bit the dust in the eighth round, I was tempted to consider if Adanko Deka could not have faced him in any twelve-rounder, title or non-title bout. Adanko has improved tremendously, and soon he would be facing Pernell Whitaker.
Sincerely, I was pessimistic about Azumah’s man, who the last time took him through twelve grueling rounds of rough boxing. I expressed my fears to my colleague Christian Abbew, alias Gbonyo, who surprisingly had total confidence that the Australian brawler would fall, predictably in Round Five.
Gbonyo gave reasons for his contention, all of which I counteracted using the age factor. Fact is, I didn’t know that contrary to the laws of nature, Azumah was all the time growing younger.
When Fenech fell briefly in round one, I asked my brother whether it was the same Fenech that fought Azumah in Las Vegas. Sure, it was the same Fenech, all out to beat Azumah before his countrymen.
But the African Professor had no intention of making the Australian a hero. As he spun round the desperate Aussie, dancing and stinging out his jabs, it was not too long before I realized that the end was near.
The Eighth Round Showdown
Two minutes into the eighth round, the African ring-master proved to the whole world that he was a true son of Bukom. He himself was cornered, but like the tough nut he is, he managed to break free before overwhelming the panting Australian with several blows that made him crash headlong.
Moments after, the referee, expressing fatherly sympathy, stopped the fight to prevent an obituary. After the ordeal, Fenech’s fairly handsome face was full of newly constructed hills, valleys, ox-bow lakes—whatever. I noticed that his nose was very tired and had a miniature volcano sitting restlessly on it. Obviously, Jeff’s wife will have to nurse that nose back to its normal shape—but I’d advise her not to use iodine, otherwise her dear husband will wail like a banshee.
Reflections on Boxing
Because Mohammed Ali was the kind of boxer kids liked, many school-going kids often entertained the wish of becoming like him. I remember one day when I told my father I wanted to become a boxer, and he advised me to first complete my education to the highest level. Then, if I decided to become a boxer and was knocked out a couple of times, I’d fall back on my degrees and make a living.
Boxing used to be interesting when bouts were fought more with the mouth and tongue than with gloves. You had to brag well, psychologically belittling your opponent before beating him up physically. Mohammed Ali became a very successful pugilist because he also managed to become a poet. He often blew his horn across America, calling himself the “pretty boxer” and opponents like Joe Frazier “the gorilla.”
Ali made a living fighting hard fists like Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, Jerry Quarry, George Foreman, Leon Spinks, and Trevor Berbick. Twice he came back from retirement to fight just for money. It was Larry Holmes who finally pensioned him, and since then the great Ali has never been himself.
The Path Ahead for Azumah
When Azumah nailed Jeff Fenech on the cross and barked almost immediately that he was after the head of Pernell Whitaker, I was happy but concerned. I would have been happier if he had announced his resignation there and then—he would have been more of a hero. Beating Fenech in Australia is more newsworthy than facing Whitaker in the States.
With Whitaker, it might be a little difficult. The “Sweet Pea” is agile, has a crooked body like a snake with diarrhea, and stands awkwardly as a southpaw. He is known for having the fastest pair of fists and the rare ability to dodge punches no matter how close they may be.
Much as I do not doubt that Azumah can take his title, I also don’t want him to retire beaten. I want him to retire as a hero and live a fuller, healthy life.
As Azumah himself said after dishing Fenech, he is now a professor and has something to show for it. Like a true professor, I think it is time he resigned and took up training young talents who could draw inspiration from him and become like him in the future.
Closing Thoughts
I must say that although ageing boxers like Larry Holmes and George Foreman are making a name for themselves, boxing is not like the Civil Service, where you can even change your age and retire at 74. Zoom Zoom has delighted the hearts of the natives, and Sikaman will forever hold him in high esteem—but only when he retires as a hero.
This article was first published on Saturday, March 7, 1992.
