Minister of Trade and Industry, Haruna Iddrisu, has urged exporters, manufacturers and entrepreneurs to adopt best trade practices to help enhance the standard of products being exported.

The minister made this assertion at the opening of Trade Related Assistance and Quality Enabling Programme (TRAQUE) in Accra on Tuesday.

The two-day event, which is funded by the European Union, is dubbed “National Forum on Technical Regulations and Standardization in Ghana”.

The minister stressed that Ghana would be able to increase its manufacturing capacity and diversify exports if companies comply with international trade requirements.

Consequently, he disclosed that plans were afoot to initiate policies that would strengthen national institutions as well as help develop skills and capacities of local companies.

He, however, urged industry players and participants at the event to adopt “all hands on deck approach” to improve the sector to accelerate the pace of Ghana’s development.

“…And it is my hope that at the end of this forum the targeted audience will be better off to help enhance the sector for the betterment of Ghana,” Haruna Iddrisu asserted.

The birth of TRAQUE was as a result of Ghana government and the European Commission to implement a Trade Related Assistance and Quality Enabling Programme.

TRAQUE is aimed at offering continued support to the Ministry of Trade and Industry in private sector development, trade facilitation and capacity building with special attention to capacity issues, industrial strategy and post EPA implementation support as well standards, national quality institutions and trade; private sector export support organisations.

Present at the opening session were Michael Senayah, TRAQUE Project Director, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Tobias Diergargt, Project Coordinator, Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Dr Zoe nature, Ag. Head of Cooperation, at the German Embassy, Accra and Ignacio Burrull, Head of Cooperation, EU Delegation to Ghana.