Ranking Member for Parliament’s Trade and Industry Committee, Michael Okyere Baafi
Correspondence from Eastern Region
The Ranking Member for Parliament’s Trade and Industry Committee, Michael Okyere Baafi, has strongly challenged President John Dramani Mahama’s push for a zero-tariff access agreement with the Chinese market, arguing that Ghana should instead focus on leveraging the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
Okyere Baafi, who also serves as the Member of Parliament for New Juaben South, asserted that Ghana does not “necessarily need a zero-tariff access to the Chinese market as being trumpeted by President John Dramani Mahama.”
He emphasised that the government must rather take advantage of the AfCFTA, which has been signed by 54 out of 55 African countries.
President Mahama had announced at the 2025 China-Africa summit that Ghana was billed to sign a zero-tariff access agreement with China by the end of October 2025, a move he described as providing a free market for Ghanaian products onto the robust Chinese market.
However, speaking to the media Okyere Baafi, a former Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry under the erstwhile Akufo-Addo government, contended that such a decision is not in the best interest of Africa and could potentially “ruin the gains made for the advancement of African trade.”
He highlighted that prioritizing trading among African nations would foster a more economically independent African continent, a strategy he believes is more beneficial than relying heavily on Western or other external markets, especially considering current global economic circumstances.
In response to President Mahama’s disclosure, Okyere Baafi presented statistics to underscore his concerns about the proposed Chinese deal.
He noted that between 2020 and 2024, China’s exports to Ghana increased by a significant 46%, while Ghana’s exports to China saw a comparatively meager increase of only 11%.
“China rather stands to benefit tremendously under these arrangements in a reciprocal manner,” he stated, suggesting that a zero-tariff agreement could further exacerbate this trade imbalance, disproportionately favoring the Asian economic giant.
The Ranking Member urged the government to capitalize on the existing free markets within the 54 African countries to trade and promote Ghanaian products.
He stressed that this approach would be more beneficial to Ghanaian manufacturers and exporters than entering into agreements that may not offer reciprocal advantages to the nation’s economic growth and development.
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