The International Trade Center (ITC) collaborated with Ghana’s Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) today to publicly give the go-ahead for the commencement of a four-year project helping Ghana’s tech and agribusiness areas, supporting a vast number of small companies all over the nation over.
The Netherlands Trust Fund V Ghana Agribusiness and Tech projects were endorsed at the World Trade Promotion Organization Conference and Awards event by ITC’s Executive Director, Pamela Coke-Hamilton, GEPA’s Chief Executive Officer Asabena Asare, and Tjerk Opmeer, Director International at the Netherlands Enterprise Agency.
‘It’s a win-win,’ said Banda Abdallah Z. Khalifa, head of GEPA’s Trade in Services and Manufacturers Department. ‘Our youth will get support to develop IT solutions that help our smallholder farmers increase their output. These collaborations are key to achieving the goal of our national export development strategy through increased exports.’
THE NEW TECH PROJECT
The new project has chosen the first batch of 25 tech new companies, 19 IT/Business Promotion Organizations, and 20 cocoa handling agribusinesses. It has begun preparing them for Export Marketing Plans and business development diagnostics.
‘As a farmers’ cooperative we understand that if we can leverage information technology, we can improve the lives of our 100,000 farmers,’ said Nelson Adubofour, Executive Secretary of Kuapa Kokoo Cooperative Cocoa Farmers and Marketing Union Limited (KKFU).
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‘By integrating technology into agribusiness, farmers can access real-time information and innovative technology,” Adubofour said. “Down the line, they also will have access to cutting edge services to improve their yields and become certified.’
Laid out in 1993, the cooperative provides 10% of Ghanaian cocoa beans and is the main producer of high-quality cocoa beans. Ghana is the second biggest exporter of cocoa on the planet, and the harvest with its subordinates is a significant generator of income for the country. GEPA’s aggressive method of exporting incorporates backing Ghana’s IT area and other forward-thinking means.
‘Digital technologies and inclusive partnerships are keys to fostering sustainable growth in Ghana,’ added ITC Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton. ‘By combining our agribusiness and digital services expertise, this project can make a real difference in people’s lives.’
In Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Senegal, and Uganda, the Government of the Netherlands is plans on donating $15 million towards this primary change in agribusiness and related esteem chains, supporting a huge number of occupations and pioneering potential avenues for ladies, youth and the poor.
SOURCE: MFIDIE NEWS