Ghana: Gov’t to engage stakeholders before signing EPA
MyJoy Online | June 11, 2013
Gov’t to engage stakeholders before signing EPA
From: Ghana / Joy Business / Emmanuel Agyei / George Wiafe
Government has indicated that it would engage all interested parties before it signs the Economic Partnership Agreement.
Ghana in 2007 signed the Interim Economic Partnership Agreement to have continuous access to the EU market.
The agreement allows 80 percent of some European goods into the Ghanaian market - duty-free and quota-free, while Ghana will continue to have 100 percent access to the EU market, except sugar and rice.
Ghana now has 15 months to sign the full Agreement. This is after the EU reviewed the deadline from 2016 to October next year.
Some analysts have hinted that government is on the verge of signing the agreement because of pressure from the EU.
But speaking to JOY-BUSINESS, Trade Minister Haruna Iddrissu says the views of all stakeholders would be considered before signing.
“There is a revised common ECOWAS tariffs arrangement which was not the basis for what was being negotiated earlier. We will do a stakeholder consultation and re-align the new common tariffs arrangements in terms of the regional agreement. We will subject the initial EPA of 2007 to further scrutiny and consultation before a final decision is taken” he said
He was speaking to JOY BUSINESS during a working visit at the Ghana National Procurement Agency. Government says it is restructuring the operations of the agency to become a leader in commodity trade business.
