Ghana to earn $62.5mn under AGOA this year

Koforidua, Oct. 9 GNA- Under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), Ghana is expected to earn 62.5 million dollars for the exportation of traditional and non-traditional goods to United States this year.

Total exports of traditional and non-traditional goods to US markets under AGOA since 2000 amounted to 35 million dollars, while in 2001, it increased to 42 million dollars and in 2002 it rose to 50.4 million dollars.

This was announced by Dr Gordon Asare-Kyeremateng, Advisor at the AGOA Help Desk, American Chamber of Commerce, Ghana, (AMCHAM), at a one-day Eastern Regional Training seminar on AGOA for 60 agricultural, manufactured and handicrafts producers from the Region at Koforidua on Thursday.

He said export for the manufactured sector was 80 per cent, while agriculture was 17 per cent and handicraft three per cent.

Dr Asare-Kyeremateng expressed concern about the inability of producers in the region to take advantage of AGOA.

He mentioned duty-free and quota-free access to the US market, opportunity to attract US technology, improving efficiency and capacity to export to other countries, creation of employment, and opportunity to join AMCHAN-AGOA Exporters Association (AAEA) as some of the opportunities and benefits under AGOA.

He, therefore, asked the participants to take advantage of the opportunities and benefits to improve their lot under AGOA, which he said, ends in 2008.

Dr Asare-Kyeremateng stressed the need for Ghanaians entrepreneurs to be encouraged to produce and develop their local materials for export.

He explained that the seminar is being organised nation-wide and is aimed at sensitising the people on AGOA to enable them take advantage of the opportunities available to them.