THE European Union (EU) is collaborating with state institutions in charge of monitoring export and import activities in the country for the implementation of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).
Additionally, the EU is building the capacities of institutions that are directly in charge of monitoring standards of local products targeting the EU market.
“The EU has given Ghana some money to build capacity of the companies and then these external link organisations like the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) because if we are not able to build the standards, we cannot export”.
This was disclosed by Mr Isaac Yankson, Western Regional Director of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, in an interview with The Finder.
According to him, the recent ratification of the agreement by parliament would now put Ghana in a firm position to negotiate with the EU block.
Exporters of fish and agricultural produce to the EU market who were itching because of delay in the ratification of the agreement, he said, would now heave a sigh of relief following the decision taken by parliament.
“Our major products to the EU include cocoa paste, cocoa butter, prepared tuna, fish, pineapples and yam. If you take cocoa butter, for instance, exporters would have been paying tariffs in the region of 4.2% if we had not joined the EPA.
“In the case of prepared tuna, exporters would have been paying as much as 20.5%, but under the EPA, we are not paying anything,” Mr Yankson stressed.
He said due to the growing partnership between the EU and Ghana, government would not hesitate to push for the necessary agreements to be signed to allow Ghanaian traders to enjoy the tariff-free EU market.
The Finder