GEPA pushes for stronger Intra-African trade to create jobs

The Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) is intensifying its push for stronger intra-African trade, describing it as a catalyst for job creation, industrial growth and inclusive development.

At the Ghana International Expo and Investment Forum 2025 in Lagos, Nigeria, Ambrose Edwin Nsarkoh, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of GEPA, emphasised that Africa must act decisively to harness its own markets for economic transformation.

“Intra-African trade accounts for only 15 per cent of the continent’s total trade volume, compared with 69 per cent in Europe and 59 per cent in Asia. This gap is not just a statistic; it is an enormous opportunity we must collectively seize.

“When African countries trade more with each other, we create jobs for our youth, retain value within our economies and build the industrial capacity necessary for sustainable development,” Mr Nsarkoh noted.

Ghana’s Export Ambitions

Mr Nsarkoh reaffirmed Ghana’s export-led growth strategy, highlighting initiatives such as the Accelerated Export Development Agenda and the government’s 24-Hour Economy policy.

These programmes, he explained, aim to expand productive capacity, diversify markets and provide Ghanaian goods with better access to regional and global buyers.

He announced GEPA’s ambitious goal of raising annual export revenues from USD4 billion to USD10 billion by 2029, stressing that the target is “not just about numbers, but about transforming livelihoods, creating jobs and ensuring economic resilience.”

Call for Regional Collaboration

Commending the Ghana High Commission in Nigeria for advancing economic diplomacy, Mr Nsarkoh urged other Ghanaian missions across the continent to create similar platforms to boost regional trade and investment.

“GEPA stands ready to be your partner in exploring Ghana’s vast opportunities from cocoa to technology, agriculture to financial services,” he told participants, encouraging private sector actors to seize the benefits of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Expo Highlights

The Ghana International Expo and Investment Forum 2025, the first to be hosted outside Ghana, convened policymakers, investors, business leaders and development partners.

The Lagos event featured high-level dialogue, exhibitions and networking sessions designed to leverage intra-African trade and tourism as engines of innovation, job creation and shared prosperity.