Nicholas Apokerah is the Executive Director of TradeAid Integrated
The Executive Director of TradeAid Integrated, Nicholas Apokerah, has urged exporters and local manufacturers to explore alternative markets for their goods while government negotiates the renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which expired on September 30, 2025.
According to him, if negotiations between the government and the United States fail, it could severely impact Ghanaian exporters and African manufacturers.
He explained that the end of the duty-free framework would trigger higher tariff costs for exporters, stressing that under AGOA, exports to the US were duty-free.
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The AGOA arrangement, he added, directly benefited US importers and made Ghanaian products more affordable on the global market.
“So, if AGOA has come to an end now, it means that all our exports to the US market will attract tariffs. And you know that recently, the tax administration in the US is imposing 15% in tariffs. So, it will attract a 15% tariff, including any other restrictions that AGOA previously covered,” he said in an exclusive interview with GhanaWeb Business on October 7, 2025.
Apokerah further warned that if re-negotiations fail, local products would become less competitive in the US market, which would inadvertently affect the country’s foreign exchange earnings.
He therefore called for a paradigm shift as an alternative while government continues to engage with the US.
He urged exporters to take advantage of opportunities within the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), as well as in the EU, Asia, BRICS, and Arab countries.
“For now, it would be good if we strengthen our engagement within the African continent and look at the EU, Asian, and Arab markets where there is a lot of oil money,” he added.
SP/MA
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