The National Trade Facilitation Committee (NTFC) has held its second meeting of the year to review progress on trade facilitation reforms and ensure implementation of key measures to enhance Ghana's trade competitiveness.
The meeting was chaired by Mr. Ebo Quaison, Chair of the NTFC, who explained that the committee was established pursuant to Article 23(2) of the World Trade Organization's Trade Facilitation Agreement, which enjoins every WTO member to have a national trade facilitation committee in place.
"The National Trade Facilitation Committee, which in short we call the NTFC, is a committee established pursuant to the World Trade Organization's Trade Facilitation Agreement, specifically Article 23(2)," Mr. Quaison said. "We meet three times a year, so this is the second meeting."
He said the committee is horizontal in nature, with members drawn from both public and private sectors to ensure buy-in for all its decisions.
Mr. Quaison said the meeting had two main objectives: to review progress since the last meeting and to inaugurate the restructured Trade and Gender Subcommittee.
He recalled that at the last meeting, the committee considered preparing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the export and import of perishable goods, and the current meeting would receive an update on work done so far.
The committee will also follow up on the implementation of a recently released Time Release Study (TRS) by the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority.
"Most importantly, we are here to inaugurate our restructured trade and gender subcommittee," he said.
Mr. Quaison noted that the subcommittee is of utmost importance to the Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, as it aligns with her flagship programme on women in trade and agribusiness.
"We believe that trade should be inclusive, trade should have a gender focus, and trade should impact nationally, even including those who are fiscally challenged," he said.
On support for the committee's work, Mr. Quaison commended TradeMark Africa as a reliable partner since the inception of the NTFC, providing resources and logistics to facilitate its work.
He disclosed that TradeMark Africa recently renewed its partnership with the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, with the Minister appending her signature to the agreement, assuring logistical and resource support for the next two years.
Meanwhile, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, in a message delivered at the meeting, called on the NTFC to redouble efforts to streamline trade processes and bolster Ghana's competitiveness in the West African sub-region.
The Chief Director said the NTFC's mandate includes overseeing implementation, monitoring and reporting on trade facilitation measures, preparing timely notifications to the WTO Committee on Trade Facilitation, and identifying operational bottlenecks, policy gaps and capacity needs.
"Much of what this committee does is quiet everyday work operating hours, forms, and systems that must speak to one another," the message said, noting that attention to these details determines whether policy actually reaches businesses.
The Chief Director praised the diverse composition of the NTFC and reaffirmed the Ministry's commitment to work with the committee in line with government's economic agenda to create a trading environment where Ghanaian businesses can compete and grow.
He urged members to adopt a solution-oriented mindset and prioritize actionable outcomes that reduce the time and cost of doing business.
