Exporters need better access to credit, infrastructure – Bawumia

Former Vice President and 2028 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has called for increased support for exporters to help strengthen Ghana’s export sector.

He said Ghana could learn from export-driven economies, particularly the Asian Tigers, where exporters have benefited from various government incentives.

Bawumia made the call after meeting members of the Federation of Association of Ghana Exporters (FAGE) on Wednesday, September 16, to discuss challenges confronting the sector.

He said the meeting provided an opportunity for exporters, including those engaged in traditional and non-traditional exports, to outline barriers affecting their businesses and propose possible policy solutions.

“It is the fact that many of the economies that Ghana is trying to emulate, like the Asian Tigers, are export-driven economies, and the exporters in these countries were supported with various incentives,” he wrote in a social media post on Thursday.

According to Bawumia, Ghanaian exporters require greater support in several areas, including the regulatory environment, standards, trade house infrastructure in export markets, land acquisition and protection, access to credit, and the exchange and payments regime.

He said addressing these challenges would help create a more supportive environment for exporters and strengthen Ghana’s ability to compete in international markets.

“I am convinced that we need to provide our exporters more support in the areas of the regulatory environment, standards, trade house infrastructure in countries we export to, land acquisition and protection, access to credit and the exchange and payments regime,” he said.