Togo honours Ghana at International Trade Fair
Ghana has been designated as the “Guest of Honour Country” at the ongoing 10th Lome Togo International Fair 2012 being organized in the country’s capital Lome.
This is due to Ghana’s good international reputation and strong bilateral trade relations with her neigbhours.
Out of 10 African and Latin American countries participating in the fair, Ghana has the largest number of companies attending the fair. Thirty-one Ghanaians exhibitors are participating.
Mr Alexander Dadzawa, Head of Marketing and Promotion at the Ghana Export Promoting Authority (GEPA) told journalists that Togo is the biggest market for Ghana’s non-traditional export products beating Nigeria to the second place, with Burkina Faso occupying the third.
“Non-traditional exports to Togo last year amounted to about 180 million dollars in terms of trade value”, he said and added that the major products exported included aluminium and plastic products, palm oil, consumer items particularly soap and creams.
He said that GEPA was continuously working towards consolidating Ghana’s gains and position on the Togolese market.
Mr Dadzawa announced that a “Ghana Day” had been set aside on Friday, November 30th, where an investment forum would be organized to explore trade and investment opportunities between the two countries. It will be organized in collaboration with the Togo Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
He said the GEPA had currently diversified its promotion activities to include herbal medicine and building materials, particularly the aluminium roofing sheets.
Mr Dadzawa said cocoa powder, moringa and other herbal powder products were on high demand at the fair.
He said GEPA had over the past five years, pursued a marketing agenda to promote made in Ghana products in West African countries.
Mr Dadzawa said, “We have embarked on aggressive way to promote made in Ghana products through our participation in international fairs and solo exhibitions”.
Other countries in which Ghana had participated in such solo exhibitions and participated in international trade fairs included Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Kenya and Nigeria.
The participation of Ghanaian companies in the Togo International Fair is being organized by GEPA in collaboration with the Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry and with the support of the Ghana Embassy in Togo.
The fair, which commenced on 23rd November 2012 and expected to end on 10th December, would be officially closed to the Ghanaian delegates on the 4th to enable the exhibitors to return to Ghana to exercise their franchise in the upcoming elections scheduled on Friday 7th December 2012.
Source: GNA