The Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) has launched a nation-wide campaign to achieve its targeted $10 billion in the country’s export value by 2021.
The GEPA rolled out the initiative at the Upper East Region of Ghana, involving some Municipal and District Executives in an interactive forum aimed at helping local government leaders to decide on a particular product it will focus on as its contribution to the nations export products pool.
The interactive session involved the thirteen Municipal and District Chief Executives alongside their Coordinating Directors and private sector players in the region.
The campaign adopts a similar name to government's ‘one-district-one-factory’ project by tagging it: “One District One Export Productâ€.
The GEPA’s strategies for implementation of this plan include the commissioning of district export committees with the various Chief Executives serving as chairperson of each them.
The district export committees will oversee the decision on products for their various locality and their development into exportable goods and services.
Speaking at the campaign’s flag-off forum, the Deputy CEO of the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA, Mr. Akilu Sayibu said: “the GEPA is promoting potential and exportable products from our districts. We have 216 districts and if you go to any district, you would have realized that, there is a product or service that is peculiar to the district, so the strategy at GEPA is to identify these products or services associated with the districts and support in developing the products for exports and EXIM bank is ready to support the project “.
He further noted that, “If we [GEPA] are able to do this, it will create job opportunities for the youth, improve our growth and Gross domestic product (GDP)â€.
As first among a series of products expected to be adopted by each locality, the District Chief Executive of Bongo district of the Upper East Region of Ghana and a participant at the GEPA flag-off campaign forum – Mr. Peter Awinibisa, identified Shea Butter as their exportable product.
If successful, the GEPA initiative would serve as a major contributor to the government’s commitment to developing ‘made in Ghana’ goods for foreign earnings.