Minister of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, has urged the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) to deepen its work on investment facilitation, productive capacity building, the digital economy and data analysis, priorities she said are now central to equitable and sustainable growth. She delivered the call in her address at the 16th Session of UNCTAD (UNCTAD XVI) underway in Geneva.
UNCTAD XVI, themed “Shaping the Future: Driving Economic Transformation for Equitable, Inclusive and Sustainable Development,” has convened ministers, international partners and policy-makers to shape the global trade and development agenda.
Setting out Ghana’s position, Ofosu-Adjare presented the country’s vision for inclusive industrial transformation, digital innovation and trade-led growth. She stressed that achieving sustainable development outcomes will require both bilateral and multilateral cooperation, stating that collective action is essential to address shared constraints.
Reaffirming the role of commerce in development, she described trade as a core engine for inclusive economic expansion. On climate policy, she cautioned that while environmental interventions should be ambitious, they must also remain transparent and science-based to command confidence and durability.
Turning to digital divides as a structural barrier to competitiveness, the minister urged international stakeholders to act on the affordability of data connectivity and digital infrastructure, positioning them as prerequisites for meaningful participation in the global economy.
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She further disclosed that Ghana, working with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, is developing a digital platform to monitor and resolve cross-border trade frictions across the continent. The initiative is expected to support smoother intra-African commerce under the single market.
UNCTAD XVI has brought together global leaders to refine strategies for a more equitable and sustainable economic order as countries confront shifting trade dynamics, climate imperatives and accelerating technological change.
