Ghana, Dubai Chamber Deepen CEPA Negotiations
By Praisebell Rosemond Larbi
Ghana has intensified efforts to deepen economic relations with the United Arab Emirates as discussions advance toward a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), aimed at expanding bilateral trade, investment flows, and private-sector collaboration.
The Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry held high-level talks with a delegation from the Dubai Chamber of Commerce in Accra, underscoring Ghana’s strategic push to diversify its international economic partnerships beyond traditional markets in Europe and North America.
Officials at the meeting said a CEPA between Ghana and the UAE could unlock significant opportunities across trade, manufacturing, agribusiness, logistics, and services, positioning Ghana as a production and export hub for regional and global markets.
The Dubai Chamber delegation was led by Sumaya Al Shamsi, Director of International Partnerships, who explained that the Chamber annually selects two priority destinations for targeted business outreach. For 2026, Ghana and Ethiopia were chosen, with Ghana designated as the Chamber’s first engagement point in Africa.
As part of this initiative, she announced plans for a 20-member UAE business delegation to visit Accra from May 18 to May 19, 2026. The delegation will comprise medium- to large-scale companies operating across diverse sectors, including manufacturing, agribusiness, logistics, energy, and services.
The planned visit will feature plenary investment sessions, business-to-business (B2B) engagements with Ghanaian firms, and site visits, aimed at translating policy dialogue into concrete commercial partnerships. A keynote address by the Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, is also expected to anchor the engagement.
Receiving the delegation on behalf of the minister, the Ministry’s Chief Director, Noah Tumfo, outlined Ghana’s economic priorities, emphasizing trade diversification, value addition, and the establishment of production hubs capable of serving both the UAE market and broader Asian demand.
He highlighted Ghana’s growing attractiveness as an investment destination, citing preferential access to major global markets including the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States, alongside expanded access to Africa’s 1.4-billion-person market under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Mr. Tumfo further noted that Ghana is pursuing engagements that could secure duty-free and quota-free access to the Chinese market, a development that would significantly enhance export opportunities for investors operating from Ghana.
The ministry also used the engagement to showcase ongoing regulatory reforms aimed at improving the ease of doing business, particularly in priority sectors such as agribusiness and manufacturing. Special emphasis was placed on cocoa value addition, with officials encouraging UAE investors to explore opportunities in cocoa processing, branding, and export as Ghana seeks to move up the agricultural value chain and capture greater value from its primary commodities.
Senior officials present at the meeting included the Ministry’s Director for Trade Development, Ebo Quaison, and the Dubai Chamber’s Chief Representative for West Africa, Cyril Darkwa, as both sides laid the groundwork for deeper commercial cooperation ahead of the May 2026 business mission.
Officials said the engagement signals growing momentum toward a CEPA that could reshape Ghana–UAE trade relations, strengthen private-sector linkages, and support Ghana’s broader industrialisation and export-led growth agenda.
