Ghana has opened a trade hub in London as it seeks to deepen access to the UK market and accelerate growth in non-traditional exports, building on a broader strategy that has seen local businesses expand their presence across Africa and beyond.
The Ghana Trade House, inaugurated in the British capital, is expected to serve as a gateway for Made-in-Ghana products, offering exporters support in branding, distribution, regulatory compliance and business partnerships as the government looks to diversify export earnings beyond traditional commodities.
“The Trade House will provide Ghanaian exporters with greater access to the UK market while supporting product branding, distribution, compliance and business partnerships,” Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), Francis Kojo Kwarteng Arthur, said at the opening ceremony.
The launch marks the latest step in Ghana’s effort to revive non-traditional exports after the sector contracted for the first time in four years in 2024. According to GEPA’s latest Non-Traditional Export Statistics Report, earnings fell 2.87% to $3.83 billion from $3.94 billion a year earlier, largely due to a decline in iron and steel shipments caused by rising production costs, raw-material shortages and electricity constraints in the Dawa Industrial Zone.
Despite the decline, non-traditional exports accounted for 18.75% of Ghana’s total merchandise exports in 2024, with the country shipping 609 products to 152 markets and recording average annual growth of 6.01% between 2020 and 2024.
The London Trade House expands a strategy that has increasingly focused on creating new markets for higher-value products, including processed foods, garments, cosmetics and handicrafts. Last year, GEPA sponsored 60 Ghanaian businesses to exhibit at the International Handicrafts Week of Grand-Bassam in Côte d’Ivoire, connecting exporters in the garments, handicrafts and cosmetics industries with buyers and distributors across West Africa.
That initiative formed part of a broader effort to reduce Ghana’s reliance on a narrow group of industrial exports and widen opportunities for smaller exporters. While 1,543 companies participated in the country’s non-traditional export sector in 2024, just 86 firms generated about 80% of total earnings, according to the GEPA report.
Ghana’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Sabah Zita Benson, said the Trade House demonstrates that the country is “open for business” and reflects a shift from raw commodity exports toward value-added products.
She urged British businesses to explore opportunities in sectors including horticulture, processed foods, cocoa, shea, cashew and textiles, while calling on the Ghanaian diaspora to use the facility as a platform to invest and reconnect with the country.
Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations Stan Dogbe said the London Trade House builds on the success of similar initiatives in Kenya and Philadelphia and aligns with President John Mahama’s Accelerated Export Development Programme.
According to Dogbe, the facility will help Ghanaian businesses overcome market-entry barriers, including certification requirements, while bringing local products closer to consumers in international markets.
The government is also counting on its proposed 24-hour economy policy to strengthen export competitiveness by increasing industrial output and improving resource allocation across key sectors.
Simon Madjie, chief executive officer of the Ghana Investment Promotion Authority (GIPA), said the agency’s transition from the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre following the passage of the new Investment Promotion Authority Act has strengthened its mandate to support investors through digital services, simplified registration procedures and faster processing times.
For Ghana, the London Trade House represents more than a showroom for local products. It is part of a broader strategy to diversify export revenue, expand the country’s global commercial footprint and restore momentum to a sector that generated nearly $4 billion in foreign exchange earnings in 2024.
