Mrs. Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, held a significant meeting with Ms. Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), on the sidelines of the 16th session of the conference (UNCTAD XVI) in Geneva. The core focus of the high-level discussion was to review ongoing collaborations and explore new opportunities to strengthen cooperation between Ghana and UNCTAD in the crucial areas of trade, investment, and capacity building.
The Minister extended her deep appreciation to Ms. Grynspan for her distinguished service spanning over 36 years in international development and multilateral diplomacy, commending her for ensuring UNCTAD XVI was highly inclusive and action-oriented. Specifically, she lauded the conference’s innovative design, which utilized interactive panels to facilitate dynamic exchanges among participating Ministers.
Minister Ofosu-Adjare reaffirmed Ghana’s reliance on UNCTAD’s continued technical and analytical support, particularly its assistance in areas such as e-commerce, investment facilitation, and MSME development.
She also provided the Secretary-General with updates on Ghana’s domestic projects, including its industrial transformation agenda, trade facilitation measures, and digital readiness initiatives like the implementation of the National E-Commerce Strategy and the Accelerated Export Development Programme (AEDP).
Highlighting her role on the Board of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), the Minister underscored President John Dramani Mahama’s commitment to combating illicit financial flows (IFFs) by strengthening surveillance and compliance at the ports. She explicitly requested UNCTAD’s partnership in supporting capacity-building initiatives aimed at enhancing customs efficiency, improving trade data integrity, and integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) perspectives into trade policy analysis.
Ms. Grynspan welcomed these proposals and invited Ghana to collaborate closely with Mr. Paul Akiwumi, UNCTAD’s Director for Africa, on targeted interventions in IFFs and trade facilitation. The Secretary-General also acknowledged regional integration as a powerful tool for sustainable development, while underscoring the importance of planning, coherence, and solidarity among developing nations.
The Minister concluded by quoting Ms. Grynspan’s own words: “Our future must be planned. It cannot just happen,” and reaffirmed Ghana’s readiness to work with UNCTAD to ensure trade and investment drive inclusive transformation.
Ruth Abla ADJORLOLO
