The Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has urged Ghana to sign on to the Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) Agreement, arguing it could help shift Africa’s export structure away from raw commodities and into higher-value manufacturing and services.
She told Ghana’s Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, in a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of UNCTAD XVI in Geneva that Africa’s export profile, “where over 60% of exports remain primary commodities”, can be transformed “through stronger investment facilitation and value-chain integration.”
Dr. Okonjo-Iweala said joining the IFD would “position Ghana to attract sustainable investment, support MSMEs, and drive structural transformation under the AfCFTA and WTO frameworks.”
WTO reform and global trade headwinds
Both sides reviewed ongoing WTO reform efforts ahead of the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14), noting that negotiations are now centred on subsidies, protectionism and development mandates. The WTO chief encouraged Ghana “to continue playing an active role in shaping outcomes that serve the interests of developing countries.”
On bilateral trade with the United States, Ofosu-Adjare briefed the WTO head on Ghana’s concerns around AGOA-linked tariffs. She recalled that Ghana “had initially hoped for tariff relief but was later faced with a 15% tariff rate, up from an initial 10%.” Dr. Okonjo-Iweala said her recent engagements with US officials have focused on “encouraging greater US investment in Africa and fairer trade practices, rather than punitive measures.”
AfCFTA implementation and border harmonisation
The Minister told the WTO chief that Ghana is initiating consultations with African Trade Ministers to harmonise border procedures and remove implementation bottlenecks under the AfCFTA. “This initiative is not about politics; it is about trade. It is about making integration work in practical terms for our people and our businesses,” she said.
Institutional credibility and capacity
Dr. Okonjo-Iweala lauded Ghana’s standing within the WTO system, stating that “Ghana is too precious to the WTO to owe,” and praised the country for submitting “high-quality candidates for WTO capacity-building and training programmes,” noting that Ghanaian participants “have demonstrated excellence and professionalism in every cohort.”
She said she would use her office to support Ghana’s accession to the C4+ Cotton Club to advance its textiles and garments agenda, while urging improvements in notifications and transparency submissions with Secretariat support.
Both parties reaffirmed commitment to a rules-based multilateral trading system that enables developing economies to industrialise and integrate into global value chains. The WTO chief reiterated the organisation’s readiness to provide technical assistance, training and analytical support to back Ghana’s trade and industrial transformation drive.
