Takoradi, Nov 16 ,- The National export strategy is geared towards
the identification, development and promotion of at least one exportable
product per District to synchronise government's flagship policy of One
District, One Factory industrialisation concept.
Madam Gifty Keenan, Chief
Executive officer of the Ghana Export Promotion
Authority (GEPA), said this when she Addressed Metropolitan, Municipal
and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) and their supporting staff at a day's
workshop in Takoradi
She said the implementation of
the National Export Strategy, through the One District, One Exportable product,
must therefore complement as well as feed the One-District, One-Factory
industrialisation concept.
The workshop, was to among
others, augment the performance of existing export products of the Western
Region and identify additional ones with significant export potentials at the
District level.
Madam Klenam said it was the
vision of GEPA to establish Regional offices with District representatives who
would see to the full implementation of the one-District-one Export product
concept adding that "we are looking forward to strengthening our presence
in this Region to be able to unearth its full potentials".
The CEO stated that GEPA was
poised to play a pivotal role in the export value chain by developing and
promoting exports to achieve its set target of exports worth US$10 billion.
She entreated the MMDCEs to bring
their expertise to bare to select a product or service with immense export
potential from each District of the Region which she noted was vast and blessed
with immense potentials for Agri-business, services and related value chains.
Madam Klenam noted that with the
vast land and forest resources, "this should challenge us to do everything
within our power to transform this region into an export powerhouse".
She cautioned that though Ghana
had discovered oil in commercial quantities," Non Traditional Exports
provide more jobs and security than the oil will do".
The CEO said GEPA had so far
visited eight Regions in Ghana with fantastic responses 'giving me the
inclination that this nation has all it takes to be the export hub of the
sub-region.
A Deputy Director of Agricultural
Extension Services at the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Theophilus Osei Owusu who
spoke on "Extension Services-A Critical Tool for Supporting Production of
Quality Products for the Export Market" said his outfit had intensified
its services through the provision of relevant information and update the
knowledge of farmers on modern technology.
He said his outfit would liaise
with the decentralized directorates, the Centre for Scientific and Industrial
Research (CSIR) the private sector, input dealers, as well as farmer-based
organisations through the Research Extension and Liaison Committees (RELCs) to
plan for Agricultural development in the country through training and field
demonstrations.
Mr Osei Owusu said the service
had intensified its activities through relevant policies, technical
backstopping of the Regions, coordination, monitoring and evaluation to enhance
Agricultural activities in the country.
GNA
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