The Minority Caucus in Parliament has launched a scathing critique of the government’s failure to act decisively in response to the United States’ sudden imposition of a 10% tariff on Ghanaian exports.
The Caucus is warning that the country risks being blindsided in an unfolding trade war due to poor prioritization of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
In a worded statement signed by Ranking Member on the Trade, Industry and Tourism Committee, Michael Okeyer Baafi, the Minority accused the NDC administration of “having no response to the current tariff slap.”
It said the Mahama administration ignored a ready-made strategy that could shield Ghana from external trade shocks.
“We have not seen a clear policy direction on exports by the NDC government. The government has played down the importance of AfCFTA in its budget and abandoned export-oriented strategies that were showing results under the NPP,” the statement read.
The 10% tariff, recently announced by former U.S. President Donald Trump in a move the Minority described as part of a “sweeping tariff escalation” against several African countries, threatens to derail Ghana’s gains under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which currently offers duty-free access to over 6,700 Ghanaian products in the US market.
AGOA is set to expire in September 2025 unless renewed.
Sectors under immediate threat include apparel, cocoa derivatives (powder and paste), and yam exports—all of which benefit from AGOA. The apparel industry alone employs more than 5,000 young Ghanaians.
“This is not just a trade concern—it is a potential employment crisis in the making,” the Minority warned.
The Minority stressed that AfCFTA, whose secretariat is hosted in Accra, was designed precisely to reduce Ghana’s reliance on volatile external markets.
Under the previous NPP government, the launch of the National AfCFTA Policy Framework and Action Plan helped local manufacturers break into regional markets, including through the One District, One Factory (1D1F) initiative, boosting exports of iron rods, ceramics, and plastics across ECOWAS.
“But under the current administration, AfCFTA has received negligible budget allocation and little strategic attention,” the statement argued.
“This government has no specialised programmes to support exporters, no measures to diversify markets, and no diplomatic effort to mitigate the fallout from these tariffs.”
The Minority called for urgent government action on multiple fronts, including:
- Immediate prioritisation and funding of the AfCFTA Action Plan.
- Diplomatic engagement with the U.S. to seek clarity on the tariffs and negotiate exemptions.
- Direct support for exporters through financing, training, and market intelligence.
- A clear, coordinated national export policy to avoid future vulnerability.
The Minority’s warning comes amid rising fears that Ghana’s failure to act swiftly could have long-term repercussions for its global competitiveness and trade diversification goals.
“This is the time for bold policy choices and urgent action—not silence,” the Minority declared. “Ghana cannot afford to lose ground both in Washington and in Accra,” it added.
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