The Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry on Tuesday, 3 February 2026, held a strategic engagement with a four-member business delegation from the Dubai Chamber of Commerce, as Ghana intensifies efforts to diversify international trade and investment relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The meeting focused on strengthening bilateral economic cooperation and advancing ongoing negotiations toward a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Ghana and the UAE—an agreement expected to significantly expand trade flows, attract investment and deepen private-sector collaboration between both countries.
Leading the Dubai Chamber delegation, Sumaya Al Shamsi, Director of International Partnerships, explained that the Chamber annually identifies two strategic destination countries for targeted business outreach. These engagements involve sector-focused delegations that meet with government institutions and potential private-sector partners to explore investment and trade opportunities.
ALSO READ: NIGERIA NCS DEEPENS GLOBAL PUSH FOR INNOVATION-DRIVEN TRADE FACILITATION
For 2026, Al Shamsi said Ghana and Ethiopia were selected, with Ghana designated as the first destination. She announced that a 20-member business delegation made up of medium- and large-scale companies across multiple sectors is scheduled to visit Accra from May 18 to 19, 2026.
According to her, the visit will include plenary sessions, structured business-to-business (B2B) meetings with Ghanaian firms, and a proposed keynote address by the Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, aimed at outlining Ghana’s investment priorities and trade opportunities.
Receiving the delegation on behalf of the Minister, the Chief Director of the Ministry, Noah Tumfo, reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to expanding trade partnerships beyond traditional markets. He stressed the importance of promoting value addition, encouraging industrial development and positioning Ghana as a production and export hub for the UAE and the wider Asian market.
Tumfo highlighted Ghana’s strong investment attractiveness, pointing to its preferential market access to the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as duty-free access to the African market under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
He further disclosed that ongoing engagements are expected to secure duty-free and quota-free access for Ghanaian exports to the Chinese market, creating additional incentives for investors seeking broader global market reach from a single production base.
The Chief Director also outlined ongoing regulatory and business reforms being implemented by the Ministry to improve the ease of doing business in Ghana. He placed particular emphasis on government efforts to drive cocoa value addition and encouraged UAE investors to explore opportunities in cocoa processing, manufacturing and export from Ghana.
Senior officials from both sides were present at the meeting, including the Director for Trade Development at the Ministry, Ebo Quaison, and the Dubai Chamber’s Chief Representative for West Africa, Cyril Darkwa.
The engagement signals a growing momentum in Ghana–UAE economic relations and sets the stage for deeper private-sector participation, increased investment flows and enhanced trade cooperation ahead of the planned Dubai Chamber business mission to Ghana later in the year.
