Establish Ghana-China zero-tariff fund for speedy export growth – Stakeholders
Stakeholders from government, financial institutions, regulatory agencies, private sector and academia, have proposed the establishment of a dedicated Ghana-China Zero-Tariff Fund to help Ghanaian exporters overcome financing constraints and take advantage of China's zero-tariff market access. The post Establish Ghana-China zero-tariff fund for speedy export growth – Stakeholders appeared first…
Government, financial, regulatory, private and academic stakeholders gathered in Accra for the Ghana-China Zero-Tariff Policy Roundtable, proposing the formation of a dedicated fund to aid Ghanaian exporters in overcoming financing hurdles. The meeting, organized by CEIBS Africa and ACCPA, sought to identify barriers hindering expanded market access from converting into increased exports and stronger economic opportunities.
A key challenge identified was access to finance, particularly for SMEs aiming to boost production, aggregate supplies and invest in processing to meet Chinese market demand. The group suggested a specialized financing mechanism to assist businesses utilizing China’s zero-tariff market access, urging financial institutions to innovate beyond traditional lending models.
They emphasized that financing should cover the full export value chain, providing examples from the cashew sector where contract farming, warehouse financing, fintech-enabled financing and equipment leasing could help businesses support out-growers, ensure reliable supplies, and expand production. Participants also explored how Development Finance Institutions like Ghana EXIM Bank and Development Bank Ghana could better support export-oriented enterprises.
The discussions underscored the crucial relationship between export financing and Ghana’s production capabilities, stressing that businesses might face challenges in meeting escalating demand without sufficient funding, reliable supplies and investments in processing facilities. The roundtable also highlighted potential collaborations between Ghanaian and Chinese joint ventures to fund local production and processing.
While acknowledging that zero tariffs opened market access, stakeholders maintained that exporters would still need adequate financing and productive capacity to produce, process and deliver goods competitively in China. Therefore, the proposed Ghana-China Zero-Tariff Fund ought to be part of a comprehensive export-financing ecosystem, alongside addressing standards, certification, production scale, regulatory requirements, logistics and market linkages, to enable sustainable export growth under China’s zero-tariff policy.
Written by urgent.news from Ghana Business News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
