The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Office in Ghana has commended Westblue Consulting Limited, technical consultant of the Ghana Single Window Project, for its salutary role in simplifying the country’s cross-border trade, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of the Ghanaian economy globally.
Speaking on the heels of the recent entry into force of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), ICC Ghana Secretary General, Mr. Emmanuel Doni-Kwame said his Office appreciates the support from Westblue Consulting and other institutions such as AGI, World Trade Centre Accra, GUTA, Shipowners Association of Ghana, Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders, FAGE, Ghana Employers Association, Ghana Journalists Association, Ghana Shippers Authority as well as the encouragement of the Ministry of Trade and the Parliament of Ghana towards the ratification of the TFA by Ghana in January this year.
The Republic of Ghana became the 104th member country of the WTO to ratify the TFA.
Ms. Valentina Mintah, CEO of West Blue Consulting and a member of ICC Ghana said the Ghana National Single Window, a trade facilitation programme, plays a key role in the execution of the Trade Facilitation Agreement, with up to 15 Sub Articles covered by the programme. “With the entry into force of the TFA, we are confident of achieving a further reduction in time and cost of doing business in Ghana, whilst providing a level playing field for all trade participants”, she said.
The Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), the first multilateral trade agreement to enter into force in over two decades—aims to make trade easier and simpler by cutting red-tape at borders. This landmark global trade agreement could boost global trade flows by over US$1trillion.
ICC has estimated that the agreement could support the creation of some 20 million jobs worldwide— the vast majority in developing countries. The TFA now becomes an official part of the multilateral trading system which covers more than 96% of global GDP.
The Chamber is actively supporting the implementation of the TFA through the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation—a major public-private partnership supported by a number of donor governments and international businesses. The Alliance is currently rolling out trade facilitation projects in some developing countries based on TFA standards.
