UK, Ghana Boost Bilateral Trade

Matthew Johnson and Sally Taylor at the media open day

The British government has announced plans to double its bilateral trade with Ghana by 2015.

In 2009 the UK exports and imports were valued at ₤307 million and ₤202 million respectively while Ghana’s exports and imports stood at ₤75 million and ₤171 million respectively.

In 2009, Ghana was UK’s 10th largest export market in Africa and the 12th largest importer of goods in Africa, with 7.87 per cent Ghana’s exports going to the UK while 4.23 per cent of goods comprising cocoa, spices, fish, vegetables and fruits are imported from the UK.

At a media open day at the British High Commission in Ghana, Matthew Johnson, Acting High Commission told journalists that measures have been put in place to increase the volume of trade between the two countries.

The bilateral trade is normally between companies in the two countries.

Mr Johnson mentioned some of the UK companies that are operating in Ghana as Barclays bank, PZ Cussons Cadbury, Tullow oil and Vodafone as well as blue skies.

As a result of the oil find in Ghana, the acting High Commissioner also noted that there were opportunities for UK companies in the oil and gas sector, adding, “Apart from the upstream and downstream exploration there are other services, especially the petrochemical industry that the government of Ghana is considering.”

There are also opportunities for UK companies in sectors such as agriculture, construction, education, environment, healthcare, information communication and technology and tourism.

The journalists also toured various departments under the British High Commission to interact with officials.

At the UK Trade and Investment Unit, Rubby Golo, a trade development officer told journalists that Ghana’s oil find is attracting a lot of foreign companies and that UK companies would not like to be left out, adding that last month the Scottish development international lead five companies to Ghana.

Sally Taylor, Country Director of Department For International Development (DFID) Ghana, noted that the UK government intends to continue to support Ghana but would focus on the Northern region where Ghana’s poor are concentrated.

“We will support the government of Ghana to save the lives of mothers through better access to safe delivery, family planning and malaria control programmes”
DFID is responsible for managing Britain’s aid to poor countries and works to reduce extreme poverty.

When the coalition government of the UK came into power last year, it made a commitment to provide 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income as aid from 2013.

By Emelia Ennin Abbey