Sampson Ahi, Deputy Trade, Agribusiness and Industry Minister has pledged targeted reforms to ease customs, logistics and compliance bottlenecks hampering the country’s textile and garment industry, positioning the sector as central to job creation and export diversification.
Speaking at a two-day Public-Private Dialogue on Textile and Garment Trade Facilitation Challenges in Sogakope, Volat Region, Ahi said the industry holds significant potential to generate employment, particularly for women and youth, while strengthening Ghana’s integration into regional and global value chains.
The forum, organized by the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry in collaboration with TradeMark Africa, brought together government agencies, development partners, garment manufacturers and other stakeholders to identify solutions to operational constraints across the trade value chain.
Ahi acknowledged persistent challenges, including customs and clearance procedures, compliance requirements, logistics inefficiencies and underutilization of trade facilitation schemes. He said these frictions increase business costs, extend turnaround times and erode competitiveness in regional and global markets.
“This dialogue has been convened not merely as a forum, but as a partnership,” the Deputy Minister stated, adding that the Ministry remains committed to listening, learning and collaborating with private sector actors and trade facilitation institutions to implement workable reforms.
He cited the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Scheme as a mechanism to enable faster cargo clearance, reduced inspections and greater predictability for compliant firms. He also called for improved alignment between digital trade systems, including the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS), and the operational realities of textile and garment producers. Ahi said recommendations from the engagement would inform policy adjustments, strengthen inter-agency coordination and guide reforms to improve the overall trade environment for the sector.
In her remarks, Harriet Gayi, Director for West Africa and AfCFTA at TradeMark Africa, emphasized the urgency of implementing practical, evidence-based trade facilitation measures to reposition Ghana as a competitive garment manufacturing hub in West Africa.
She noted that although the industry has declined from its historical peak, recent interventions, including the rapid production of more than 14 million facemasks during the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrated its resilience and latent capacity when policy and private sector efforts are aligned.
Gayi identified persistent bottlenecks such as customs system downtimes, port hour misalignments, documentation delays and early gate closures, which she said reduce production days, raise operating costs and undermine investor confidence. She commended the Ministry’s structured and evidence-based approach, including the advance circulation of proposed reforms aimed at increasing production days, reducing reliance on air freight, strengthening export reliability, lowering costs and attracting investment.
She added that private sector operators are prepared to scale to a 24-hour, three-shift production model once a predictable and enabling environment is secured. Enhanced collaboration with standards authorities, she said, would further improve product quality and export competitiveness.
Both speakers underscored that trade facilitation reforms in the garment sector extend beyond administrative efficiency. With women and youth forming the backbone of the workforce, streamlined systems could translate directly into expanded orders, higher production volumes and broader economic inclusion.
The dialogue concluded with a joint commitment by government, industry and development partners to implement reforms aimed at unlocking the sector’s potential and establishing Ghana as a reliable manufacturing hub in the West African sub-region.
