Ghana has called on African countries to move beyond trading raw commodities and embrace joint manufacturing and production under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to drive industrialisation and boost intra-African trade.
Speaking at the fifth Joint Meeting of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Ministers of Trade and Industry in Accra, Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, said Africa’s trade ambitions would remain limited if countries continued to export mostly raw materials to markets outside the continent.
She noted that despite years of regional integration efforts, formal trade among ECOWAS countries remains low, accounting for only about 10 percent of the bloc’s total trade.
According to the Minister, the situation reflects a structural challenge where countries within the region produce few goods that neighbouring markets demand, while importing products that could potentially be manufactured within the sub-region.
She stressed that developing regional value chains in key industries such as textiles, apparel and automotive manufacturing offers one of the most effective pathways to making the AfCFTA a reality.
“Working together to build regional production networks will allow African countries to leverage their comparative advantages, create jobs and strengthen industrial capacity across the continent,” she said.
Ofosu-Adjare argued that policies under the AfCFTA should encourage manufacturing within Africa, increase the use of regional raw materials and make cross-border production more attractive than importing finished goods from outside the continent.
She pledged Ghana’s commitment to partnering with other African countries to co-invest, co-produce and expand market access for goods manufactured within the region.
The Minister further urged ECOWAS member states to adopt a stronger sense of urgency in implementing policies that support industrial collaboration and regional supply chains.
Industry analysts say the development of regional value chains could significantly increase Africa’s share of global manufacturing while reducing dependence on imports and strengthening economic resilience.
Also addressing the meeting, Kalilou Sylla, Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture at the ECOWAS Commission, said West Africa had already established key foundations for economic integration through trade agreements, a common external tariff, free movement protocols and the West African Common Industrial Policy.
However, he emphasized that the success of these initiatives would ultimately be measured by their impact on businesses and citizens.
“The true measure of integration is how effectively we convert these commitments into tangible benefits for citizens, businesses, women traders and young entrepreneurs across our region,” he said.
The meeting comes as African countries intensify efforts to operationalise the AfCFTA, which seeks to create the world’s largest free trade area by connecting more than 1.4 billion people and expanding opportunities for trade, investment and industrial development across the continent.
