Mahama inaugurates export committee to tackle port delays, boost Ghana-made products

President John Dramani Mahama has inaugurated the Accelerated Export Development Advisory Committee (AEDAC), announcing measures to address the challenges facing Ghana’s export sector, including high logistics costs and lengthy port clearance times.

Speaking at the launch of the committee in Accra on Monday, Mr Mahama said the newly established body would guide policy and coordination efforts aimed at strengthening the country’s export performance and increasing earnings from non-traditional exports.

“Our exporters face some of the highest logistics costs in West Africa, and our export clearance times exceed the regional averages,” Mr Mahama said.

“We will modernise our ports, revamp the Volta Lake Transport Company, develop the Mpakadan Port, operationalise the Buankra Inland Port, and expand cold chain infrastructure to support fisheries and horticultural exports.”

Mr Mahama said the government would work to simplify export procedures, improve border management systems, and introduce fast-track inspection processes to reduce delays and build confidence in the export process.

He raised concerns about the impact of existing bottlenecks on the economy, pointing to findings from the International Trade Centre, which estimate that Ghana loses up to $4.3 billion every year in export revenue due to regulatory and procedural barriers.

According to Mr Mahama, exporters continue to face hurdles such as expensive technical regulations, overlapping mandates of regulatory agencies, and limited access to accredited local laboratories for product testing.

He said these challenges had contributed to delays and extra costs for businesses trying to enter international markets.

“Our aim is to grow Ghana’s non-traditional export earnings from $3.5 billion annually to at least $10 billion by 2030,” Mr Mahama said.

He explained that the strategy would place priority on value addition, expanding production beyond raw materials, and positioning Ghana more competitively in both regional and global markets.

Mr Mahama named fisheries, cashew, textiles, garments, pharmaceuticals, and industrial machinery as sectors expected to benefit from the export drive. He also emphasised the need to improve energy supply through a balanced energy mix to support local industries.

He pledged targeted measures to support women-led businesses, noting that women currently account for less than four per cent of Ghana’s export capacity despite their large presence in small and medium enterprises.

“The work of this committee is to help build a Ghana that earns more than it borrows, a Ghana that processes more than it exports raw, and a Ghana that creates jobs through competitive exports,” Mr Mahama stated.

The Accelerated Export Development Advisory Committee is expected to work with the Ghana Export Promotion Authority, the Ministry of Trade and Industry, and other relevant institutions to implement the National Export Development Strategy.