ACCRA, Ghana (CU)_Ghana’s Minister of Trade & Industry, Alan Kyerematen, and his British counterpart, Elizabeth Mary Truss, reached a consensus on the main elements of a new trade agreement on New Year’s Eve.
UK’s Department for International Trade in London noted that this would provide a basis to replicate London’s existing trade relationship with Ghana.
A statement issued by the Department re-affirmed the shared ambition of the two countries to further strengthen their partnership, which has “driven economic growth, created jobs, and inspired creativity and innovation”.
It further noted that the Agreement would provide Ghana with duty free and quota free access to the UK market, while the same tariff benefits would be enjoyed by British enterprises which export to the West African nation.
Accordingly, the parties are expected to finalise the text of the deal over the next few weeks, which would reflect progress made in various aspects, including rules of origin, development cooperation, as well as commitments towards human rights and good governance.
Following the discussion between the Trade Ministers of the two countries, Truss said on twitter that the anticipated agreement would cover over £1.2bn of trade between UK and Ghana, while the British High Commissioner to Ghana, Iain Walker, also took it to Twitter to note that the mutually prosperous partnership continues to grow, as the parties reached a consensus on the deal. “I look forward to seeing a full agreement shortly as we build back better,” he added.
