Vice President, Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, has called on the Ghana Export-Import Bank (GEXIM) to scale up support for value addition, industrial production and small businesses as the country seeks to strengthen its position in global trade.
Speaking at the GEXIM@10 International Conference in Accra, marking a decade of the bank’s operations, Opoku-Agyemang said evolving global trade dynamics demand stronger institutions, expanded export finance and targeted efforts to move Ghana up the value chain.
The conference, being held under the theme “A Decade of Enabling Export Trade and Industrial Transformation: Resetting GEXIM for the Next Frontier,” comes as policymakers look to reduce reliance on primary commodity exports and build a more resilient, export-led economy.
Opoku-Agyemang said the bank has made “significant strides” in supporting agriculture, manufacturing and non-traditional exports, but added that more deliberate interventions are needed to deepen industrialization and improve export competitiveness.
Deputy Trade Minister Sampson Ahi described the gathering as a “working session,” emphasizing the need for practical and time-bound solutions to constraints including access to finance, compliance costs and export readiness.
Chief Executive of GEXIM, Sylvester Adinam Mensah, said the bank will pivot toward a more focused, results-driven strategy, anchored on sector prioritization, support for micro, small and medium enterprises, and expanded trade finance instruments.
Day one of the conference featured high-level discussions on how export-import banks can drive national trade competitiveness, alongside broader debates on the evolving role of development finance institutions across Africa.
In a fireside chat, Bank of Ghana Governor Johnson Asiamah cited exchange-rate stability as a key factor for export competitiveness, pointing to the importance of policy trade-offs, market confidence and access to trade finance.
Other sessions explored ways to unlock export potential among smaller firms through innovative collateral systems, guarantees and risk mitigation tools. A keynote discussion also underscored the growing role of digital technology and artificial intelligence in strengthening export finance systems.
The conference is expected to produce recommendations to guide GEXIM’s next phase, as Ghana seeks to accelerate industrial transformation and expand its footprint in global markets.
