Aurelia Baaba Ofori Odame (4th from left), Head, Afro-Asian Banking and State-Owned Enterprises, GCB Bank; Cynthia Ofori-Dwumfuo (4th from right), Chief Marketing Communications and Customer Experience Officer, GCB Bank, and other staff at the event

GCB Bank outlines innovative solutions to fuel Ghana-China trade expansion

Justice Agbenorsi Mar - 04 - 2026 , 09:57 3 minutes read

GCB Bank PLC has assured the public of its commitment to support businesses take advantage of opportunities that are available in the Ghana-China trade corridor.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Lantern Festival, the Head of State-owned Enterprises and Afro-Asia Banking, Auriella Baaba Ofori Odame, said the GCB Bank had designed tailored, measured financial solutions that facilitated trade, simplified and enhanced payment processes, and would facilitate trade relations between Ghana and China.

“For us in GCB Bank PLC, we see a lot of opportunities not just in the numbers but also in the partnerships that we forge to ensure that we touch major sectors in the economy,” she added.

Presently, the trade volume between Ghana and China exceeds $14.1 billion, representing a year-on-year increase of over 193 per cent.

Festival

The Lantern Festival is a Chinese tradition which is celebrated to mark the end of the New Year. It is commemorated on the 15th day of the first lunar month.

The festival gala featured business exhibitions from both Chinese and Ghanaian companies. Other activities included the lighting of lanterns and cultural performances.

It also marked the 66th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between China and Ghana and the 70th anniversary of China-Africa relations.

As part of the festival, GCB PLC mounted an exhibition showcasing products available for both Ghanaian and Chinese nationals.

Partnerships

Ms Odame said the bank was not just facilitating transactions but actively creating partnerships that would ensure local businesses capitalised on available opportunities.

In line with that, she said the bank had built the capacity of its relationship managers who were fluent in Mandarin to enable smoother interactions and also enhance understanding of cultural nuances that could impact trade.

Ms Odame explained that Ghana-China Import Solution assists importers in navigating the complexities of sourcing from Chinese manufacturers.

She said it enabled traders to connect with suppliers, allowing them to conduct imports from the comfort of their homes through GCB Bank PLC.

Initiatives

Ms Odame also said that the bank's export proposition to introduce Ghanaian businesses to potential buyers in the Chinese market had also been designed.

Additionally, she said the bank had developed a payment solution tailored to the corridor, allowing clients to make direct transfers from the Ghanaian cedi to Chinese renminbi (RMB), bypassing the traditional dollar exchange process.

Also, with the introduction of UnionPay solutions, clients in China could make payments using QR codes without going through Visa or Mastercard.

“We have built capacity and have the resources to manage transactions in this corridor.

“By creating an enabling environment for trade, GCB Bank PLC is positioning itself as a crucial facilitator in the growing economic relationship between Ghana and China,” Ms Odame said.