Seemingly focused on utilizing its role during its trade and investment visit to West Africa, of utilizing its trade and investment promotion credentials to accelerate the economic transformation of the region, Caribbean Export has communicated to the Stabroek Business the successful signing of three (3) Memoranda of Understandings between the region and Ghana, in the course of its ongoing Caribbean/West Africa Trade Mission aimed at “fostering collaboration and exploring trade opportunities between the West African country and the Caribbean.” The realization of the Agreements, Caribbean Export’s communication with the Stabroek said, seeks to serve as a prerequisite to increased trade between Ghana and the Caribbean which, it is envisaged, will be realized by “fostering collaboration and exploring trade opportunities” between the West African country and the Caribbean.
The signing of the MOU’s with Ghana, whose economy boasts a diverse and rich resource base, including the manufacturing and exportation of digital technology goods, automotive and ship construction and exportation, as well as the export of hydrocarbons and industrial minerals, a profile which has afforded the country the accolade of possessing one of the highest GDP per capita in West Africa. Accordingly, the visit by the Caribbean Export team may well come to be regarded as one of the significant business breakthroughs for the region, in pursuit of its mission of building its respective economies through aggressive extra-regional cooperation. Of particular significance has been the success realized by Caribbean Export, up to this time, in engaging with Ghanaian government officials, business leaders, and trade experts, through meetings designed to facilitate connections and exchange ideas for mutual growth.
The visit by the Caribbean Export team to Africa, which was previously reported in the Stabroek Business is being seen as part of a wider effort to meaningfully ‘shift gears’ in terms of the region’s wider pursuit of bilateral and multilateral options for building development-related bridges with the international community, as a whole. Earlier this week Caribbean Export also communicated to the Stabroek Business what it described as “a significant gathering of government officials, business leaders, and trade experts” at the first leg of the Caribbean-West Africa Trade mission to Ghana. That gathering, the report said, paid particular attention to a forum in Accra during which the regional delegation engaged a high-profile Ghanaian delegation of government officials that included Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Trade Stephen Amoah, Managing Director of Republic Bank of Ghana, Benjamin Dzoboku and Specialist Trade and Corporate Finance with AfriExim Bank, Gerald Nsomba.
Caribbean Export informed the Stabroek Business that during the meeting the two delegations shared perspective on “the significance of the Ghana-Caribbean partnership and their efforts to support SME development along with trade and business opportunities between the regions.” The significance of the Caribbean Export-led visit to West Africa was underscored by the fact that its engagements embraced exchanges with prominent Ghanaian business organizations including the Private Enterprise Federation, Ghana Union of Traders Association, and Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI). The signed MOU’s, the Caribbean Export communication with the Stabroek Business said, seeks to “foster closer collaboration and enhance trade relations between the Caribbean and Ghana, exploring potential partnerships for joint activities and facilitate businesses in key sectors such as renewable energy, agriculture, technology and ICT.
