Govt to grow non-traditional export sector to $25 billion

A Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Michael Kofi Okyere Baafi has stated that the focus of the National Export Development Strategy (NEDS) is to grow the country’s non-traditional export sector from $3 billion to $25 billion by 2029.

The strategy, he said, would utilise a private-sector-driven approach to achieve its goals of value addition, business expansion, job creation and promoting youth entrepreneurship. 

The aim is to accelerate industrial transformation by building import substitution and export diversification.

The deputy minister said that when he opened a two-day National Sales Leaders Conference (NSLC) in Accra last Wednesday.

“We understand that for businesses to grow, they need a supportive environment that encourages innovation, investment and expansion”, he said.

“We have introduced several policy initiatives aimed at creating an enabling environment and effective regulatory framework for corporate management; boosting private sector productivity and competitiveness”, he added.

He said while the government planned to increase private sector capital from domestic and international sources, it would also pursue and expand market access and promote rapid industrialisation by building agriculture linkages and other natural resource endowments.

Jobs and growth

He said one of their key initiatives was the industrialisation of jobs and growth, designed to create a diversified and competitive industrial sector that drove economic growth and job creation, stressing that it was part of the ministry's broader efforts to transform the country into a middle-income country by leveraging its industrial potential.

The conference, organised on the theme; ‘Sales Unleashed: The Role of Sales in Sustained Organisational Revenue Growth and Economic Development,’ aims to highlight the importance of effective sales strategies in achieving economic success.

The President of the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana (CIMG), Dr Daniel Kasser Tee, who was the main speaker at the conference said Ghana is a fertile ground for businesses to grow due to its expanding economy but added that realising those potential hinged on the calibre of the country’s sales force.

He said a competent sales team was not merely a department, but the vanguard driving economic progress. 

To achieve sustained organisational revenue growth, the country must invest in building a formidable army of sales professionals, he urged.

“The Ghanaian market is unique, with its peculiarities and challenges. Foreign models of sales leadership may not translate entirely. Therefore, nurturing homegrown talent is paramount. It is about understanding the Ghanaian consumer, speaking their language and building relationships based on trust”, he said.

Lifeblood

Chief Executive Officer of MGA Consulting, Michael Abbiw, said sales was not merely a function within an organisation but the lifeblood that drove growth and innovation. 

“Whether it is a startup trying to establish itself or a multinational corporation seeking to expand its market reach, the sales team is the front line that turns visions into reality”, he said.

“Sales professionals are the architects of revenue and their work is instrumental in fostering economic growth and prosperity,” he added.

He noted that the primary goal of the conference was to bring together sales leaders, innovators, and thought leaders to share insights and strategies that would shape the future of the industry.

The two-day National Sales Leaders Conference attracted over a thousand participants from various industries, ministers of state, sales leaders, exhibitors and seasoned speakers.