Ho, July 7, GNA - The Ministry of Trade, Industries and Presidents Special Initiatives (PSI) and the United States Customs Department are working towards an acceptable standard to document Ghanaian export of hand-weaving textile products to the United States (US) under the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA). As part of the discussions, 50 samples including kente and traditional dresses have been delivered to the US Customs that would analyse and give a certificate of origin of export for business to commence. Mr Maxwell Osei-Kusi, Senior Export Development Officer of Ghana Export Promotion Council (GEPC) said this in reaction to complaints about delays in implementing the trade deal at a course in Export Marketing in Ho on Monday.

Forty small-scale entrepreneurs, including Nene Neur Keteku, Paramount Chief of the Kpetoe Traditional Area, known for its kente products are attending the three-day course organised by the GEPC. Mr Osei-Kusi said it was necessary for the US Customs to satisfy itself that the products were of Ghanaian origin for the sake of administering exports under AGOA as a special dispensation of the US government to boost textile exports from Africa. He said an agreement with the US would not only enable the US to monitor Ghanaian exports under AGOA but also cut out non-beneficiary countries who would want to route their products to US through Africa.

Mr Sam Ayensu, Deputy Director, Training of the GEPC said there was the need for market intelligence to enable producers in Ghana to meet market trends. He said even tie and dye products of some countries in the sub-region were obviously of better quality than those produced in Ghana. Mr Ayensu called for more modern methods of management, product formulation and division of labour to meet increasing competition. Mr Collins Boateng, Executive Secretary of the GEPC, said the situation where the nation's population kept increasing while revenue from exports was decreasing was impacting negatively on the living standards of the people. He said the only remedy was an export drive to take advantage of trade opportunities.

Mr Mawutor Goh, Ho District Chief Executive (DCE), said the Ho District Assembly, which partly financed the Course, would give assistance within its limits to promote export trade in the region. Mr Winfred Kudzordzi, a Small-Scale Entrepreneur in Ho, who presided, suggested the setting up of an Export Desk at the District Assembly and the Volta Regional Co-ordinating Council (VRCC) to facilitate export trade in the region. He also asked for representation of private entrepreneurs on sub-committees of the District Assembly to improve its work. Mr Kudzordzi said a research on employment at Kpando area showed that most of the youth in the area had abandoned the lucrative vocations of their forefathers and chosen to remain unemployed on the flimsy excuse that such jobs as pottery is not lucrative. He, therefore, called for a vigorous policy on youth training in vocational skills and more access to credit facilities to enable them to start businesses.