The National Coordinator of the National AfCFTA Coordination Office, Dode Seidu, has underscored the benefits of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), citing Ghana’s export of non-traditional goods to 47 African countries in 2025 as evidence of the country’s progress under the trade agreement.
Speaking in an interview, Mr Seidu said Ghana had made significant strides in implementing the agreement through initiatives across the public and private sectors, although more work was needed to maximise its benefits.
He explained that Ghana was the first country to establish a national coordination office to support the implementation of the agreement, which requires several government agencies and institutions to integrate AfCFTA into their operations.
According to him, various institutions have since taken steps to align their activities with the agreement, demonstrating the country’s readiness to expand trade and investment across the continent.
Mr Seidu cited the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre’s establishment of an AfCFTA focal desk to facilitate and attract intra-African investment as one of the measures supporting the initiative.
“If you go to Ghana’s Promotion Authority, which are all agents under the Ministry of Trade, you’ve seen clear signals. For example, if you look at the annual export NTE non traditional export report issued by Ghana’s for promotion authority in 2025, we exported to 47 African countries under the AFCFTA.”
Despite these developments, Mr Seidu cautioned that significant work remained, particularly in expanding awareness of the agreement among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
He noted that many SMEs were yet to understand the opportunities available under AfCFTA, making it necessary to intensify efforts to educate businesses and encourage their participation in the continental market.
