President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said that the enactment of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA) will help achieve government’s vision of a better Ghana without Aid.

According to President Akufo-Addo, Ghana winning the bid as Secretariat of the AfCTA not only positions the country as a hub for businesses, but also boosts the exploitation of Ghana’s wealth and resources for a self-reliant economy.

“The coming into force and successful implementation of the AfCTA ties in perfectly with the vision of our country to a situation beyond aid. A self-reliant Ghana which has freed herself from the mindset of dependence, aid charity, and overreliance and is determined to make intelligent and disciplined use of our resources the basis for our growth and prosperity”

President, Nana Akufo-Addo stated the above as the keynote speaker of the three-day National Conference on the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA).

Themed, “Harnessing the Benefits of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA) for a Ghana Beyond Aid”, the national conference was aimed at bringing together key stakeholders in Ghana to discuss national strategies and programme interventions to harness the benefits of the AfCTA.

In his address, Akufo-Addo noted that despite the nation being blessed with vast resources, little to nothing has been done to achieve the much needed growth and development desired.

To him, the vision of a Ghana Beyond Aid can be better realized if the country can leverage on the trade and investment opportunities the AfCTA presents.

“In order to maximize the benefit of the cand to realize the vision of a Ghana Beyond Aid, our first order of business must be ensuring the maintenance of macro-economic stability to facilitate the growth of our economy.” Akufo-Addo indicated.

Akufo-Addo mentioned that government is dedicated to ensuring a business-friendly environment to attract more investors, stimulating growth and creating jobs into the country.

Background

Ghana has been chosen by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) to host the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The announcement was mad Sunday. July 7, 2019 at the 12th AU Extraordinary Summit held in Niamey, after Ghana beat off competition from Egypty, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar and Senegal.

The core mandate of the Secretariat will be to implement the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement, which has since been ratified by 25 member states.