Ghana launches publicity campaign for 7th ECOWAS Trade Fair

Accra, Ghana (PANA) - Ghana has launched the publicity campaign for the 7th ECOWAS Trade Fair, which is due to be held in the nation's capital, Accra, 24 Oct to 4 Nov.

Ghana's Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Joseph Annan, who launched the campaign, urged West African countries to use the Trade Fair as a mechanism to boost intra-Community trade and eliminate reliance on the import of products that could otherwise be produced within the Community.

"We should be able to produce and distribute staple foods, particularly grains like rice, maize, groundnuts; tubers like yam and cassava; fruits and vegetables among ourselves," he said.

The minister described the regional fair "as one of the effective tools for promoting intra-Community trade," and assured that the Government of Ghana has put in place relevant structures - including the composition of appropriate committees - to ensure a successful hosting.

Ghana will be hosting the fair for the second time at its sprawling permanent Trade Fair Complex in Accra, which has 26 pavilions for the exhibition of products. The country hosted the second edition in 1999 after Senegal played host to the inaugural fair four years earlier.

Earlier, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Trade, Customs, Free Movement and Tourism, Mr. Ahmed Hamid, said the movement of goods and services in the region still faced some challenges despite efforts by the Commission to create the necessary legal and institutional framework.

The Commission, he said, will continue to work assiduously to address these challenges because of the important role of intra-Community trade to regional economic development and the need to migrate the region to electronic commerce system in line with best practices in the sector.
-0- PANA SEG 28Sept2012