‘Borderless 2023’ comes off October 25 to 26
THE 2023 edition of the annual regional conference of Borderless Alliance will focus on strengthening regional agricultural value chains so businesses can compete effectively in the global market.
Dubbed ‘Borderless 2023,’ the conference comes off from October 25 to 26.
Speaking at the media launch of the conference at the Ghana Shippers House on Monday, the National Committee President for Borderless Alliance in Ghana, Mr Ziad Hamoui noted that “in the midst of global uncertainty and as the region goes through a period of socio-economic instability and rising food insecurity, West Africa must accelerate its drive towards regional economic integration, by exploring available instruments of trade facilitation (regional and international), to accelerate its economic transformation and to create larger and freely-accessible regional markets for its locally produced goods, especially its food and agriculture value chains.”
This year’s conference, hosted by Ghana Shippers Authority (GSA) under the theme “Strengthening Regional Agricultural Value Chains to Compete in a Global Market”, presents an important opportunity to address the growing unpredictability of global supply chains and the need to create more sustainable and resilient regional agriculture value chains in West Africa.
Borderless Alliance is a private sector-led regional advocacy group that promotes regional economic integration and the free movement of goods and people in West Africa, by tackling barriers to regional trade and transport.
According to the Alliance, removing regional barriers to trade and transport is critical to harnessing that growth and development, to ensure that all of West Africa’s 300 million citizens benefit from it.
Head of the Freight and Logistics Department at the GSA, Mr Fed Asiedu Dartey disclosed that the GSA had been entrusted with the mandate of protecting and promoting the interest of shippers in Ghana and that over the years, the Authority had had a strong collaboration with the Borderless Alliance, a critical partner in carrying out that mandate.
He observed that around the world, economies that have thrived have done so by ensuring that there is seamless movement of goods, services and people across borders and also ensuring that people reach their intended destinations with minimum delay.
“The ever evolving nature of businesses in the sub region necessitated improved transportation systems, the removal of non-tariff barriers and the elimination of unwarranted economic obstacles to enhance the competitiveness of industries,” he stated.
Borderless Alliance’s annual regional conferences have become one of the leading platforms on trade facilitation, regional integration and doing business in West Africa, where participants, decision makers and trade experts discuss how to improve their businesses and create a more enabling business environment across the region.
Expected participants will include representatives from the authorities of the Republic of Ghana (Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Transport), Regional Economic Communities (ECOWAS and UEMOA), key government agencies, regional development partners, financial institutions, transport and logistics companies, local manufacturers, economic operators and traders from across West Africa.
Borderless Alliance serves as a platform to identify and address the problems that affect regional trade, coordinating the implementation of a comprehensive strategy between public and private sector stakeholders across West Africa. The conference will allow stakeholders to examine the current successes and challenges, in order to drive economic growth across the region.
