March 11, 2016

How safe is Ghana under Economic Partnership Agreements?
Audrey Micah, Ghanadot

Accra, April 21, Ghanadot - On December 13, 2007, the European Commission initialled a stepping stone, Economic Partnership Agreement (EPAs) with Ghana. The agreement, according to them, will enable Ghana to benefit from significantly improved market access to the EU.

This to them will be an immediate boost for investment and growth in Ghana.  But Mr. Thomas Deve, Policy Analyst for Africa at the UN Millennium campaign said, EPAs "will kill off any ambitions we have for regional integration within and across Africa and South-South relations with other developing regions".

He said "Already, the EPAs have split all of Africa's regions - in West Africa for example, Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire have broken ranks and endangered unity by going ahead to agree 'interim EPAs' with Europe."

It must not be overlooked that while the Caribbean and Pacific regions are physically defined, the same cannot be said of Africa where countries hop from one regional grouping into another.

The stepping stone EPA allows for 100% liberalisation by value by the EU with transition periods for rice and sugar. In respect to Ghana, it allows liberalisation of 80.48% of the EC imports in value and 80.01% in tariff lines over 15 years 80.8%.

Of the 16 Economic Community for West African states, eight belong to the West African Economic and Monetary Union while the remainder are members of the Central African Economic and Monetary Union.

Fifteen countries in the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) have overlapping membership in the Intergovernmental Authority on Development; the Indian Ocean Commission; the East African Community (EAC) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa.

Not many in Ghana do fully understand the EPA process, but those who do have some questions on their minds.

Has it been thought of that the EPAs will expose ACP's weak industrial capacity to EU products and services since the majority of ACP countries export mainly raw competitive products to EU markets?

Or do we even know that the suggestion that the EU was motivated by commercial self interest in the EPAs is true or not. What proof do Ghana have that when we give in our markets will not be flooded with cheap European imports?

Ghana’s Minister of Trade and Industry Ms Hanna Tetteh has assured the nation of government’s commitment to implement measures to ensure that the country does not over-liberalise trade policies to its economic disadvantage.

She said, her ministry will make sure that the local industry is given the necessary support to be able improve in order to face the competition on the world market.

Ms. Tetteh also claimed that it was the aim of the NDC government to build the economy of Ghana and ensure that there was job for everyone, thus they would not do anything to harm either the economy or the human resource.

Ghanadot

Public-private partnerships needed to revitalize agriculture in Africa

Accra, April 20, Ghanadot/GNA – The Executive Committee of the Sustainable Tree Crops Programme (STCP) partnership begins a meeting in the Ivorian commercial capital, Abidjan, on Monday to assess its performance over the years ....More