The Minister of Trade and Industry, K.T. Hammond, has showcased government’s industrialization agenda to U.S business leaders, calling on them to partner with Ghanaian business people for their mutual benefits.
He cited the 1D1F initiative as one of the potential areas of partnership that U.S. businesses could consider, as the programme has very attractive incentive packages.
The Minister, who is on an official visit to Washington, D.C, made the call when he visited the offices of the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) as well as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
The Trade and Industry Minister, KT Hammond said the purpose of the visits was to familiarize himself with the workings and priorities of the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. This is to help explore opportunities for collaboration and support. He added that government is encouraging garment manufacturers set up in Ghana, citing Dignity DTRT as an example of a garment manufacturer which has established in Ghana and has a linkage with an American company that is importing its garments.
He expressed concern about the expiry of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and what the Chamber could do to help push for its renewal, as Ghanaian textile and garment dealers are very concerned about the impact the possible expiry of AGOA could have on their businesses.
The President & CEO of the Corporate Council for Africa, Ms. Florizelle (Florie) Liser, highlighted the longstanding relationship of her entity with Ghana, noting that the Council has already engaged stakeholders on the AGOA issue and has advocated its extension. She remarked that this is very crucial because about 3 years ago, Ghana doubled its exports of apparel under AGOA due to the establishment of the Tema textiles enclave, highlighting the importance of AGOA to Ghana.
At the meeting with U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Rick Wade, Senior Vice President of Strategic Alliances and Outreach at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said the Chamber is working on an initiative dubbed “Advance with Africa”, a roadshow to reach out to the 2.6 million black-owned businesses in the U.S. to invest in Africa, particularly Ghana.
He assured the Trade Minister that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is ready to work with him to strengthen business ties between U.S. and Ghana.
The CCA is a 30-year-old Business Association whose members are both U.S and African companies, including SMEs and multinationals, and primarily advocates for U.S trade, investments and business with Africa, including Ghana.
