Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah who is also in Charge of Ghana’s Trade Information has directed all heads of Communications, Public Relations Officers and Corporate Affairs Departments of state institutions to document the various efforts being made by their organizations towards harnessing the potentials of the Continental Free Trade Area and report to the Ministry on regular basis.
Speaking at the Second Edition of the Public Relations Summit of all PROs of Ministries, Departments, Agencies, and State-Owned Enterprises in Accra, the Information Minister advised that State Institutions take advantage of the great potentials embedded in the vision to integrate the economies of Africa and the responsibility lies with the communication elements of the Institutions to propagate such efforts.
He said government in partnership with the Private Sector Community, International partners and the AfCFTA Secretariat will be intensifying information dissemination programs at the national, regional and continental levels to enlighten business associations and service providers on opportunities under the AfCFTA.
“As you know the Continental Free Trade Area has begun and we need to know what your various Institutions are doing in this direction, so that we can inform the Public effectively.”
He said it is important to make businesses know about AfCFTA and efforts that are been made by government in particular in order to let the AfCFTA yield its desired impact.
Adding, that the private sector and businesses who can make the AfCFTA work will only be able to do so when they have the information on opportunities that have been created by governments to make trading in Ghana and on the continent easy and cost-effective.
“You are to make all information about efforts of your various organizations to strengthen Ghana’s position on this continental vision available to the Ministry through the PRSD. The Information will be shared with officers assigned to help in propagating this noble vision of the continent and improve Ghana’s competitive advantage,” the minister directed.
The African Continental Free Trade Area has the potential to be of particular benefit to traders in Ghana as some Ghanaian companies have already exported their products through air and sea freights under the AfCFTA.
The AfCFTA is said to have the potential to help African countries boost it's economic recovery which will largely depend on its full implementation.