Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has opened the Fifth Session of the Ghana–China Joint Commission on Economic, Trade and Technical Cooperation, calling for a stronger economic partnership between the two countries.
Dr Forson stressed the need for Ghana to move beyond exporting raw materials and focus more on local processing, manufacturing, job creation and value addition.
Although China remains Ghana’s largest trading partner, the Finance Minister said the structure of bilateral trade must evolve to deliver greater benefits for Ghana’s economy.
He noted that Ghana is seeking to increase exports of processed cocoa and other value-added products while attracting more Chinese investment into the country’s manufacturing sector.
According to Dr Forson, Chinese investments should support the establishment of factories, facilitate technology transfer, strengthen local businesses and provide skills training for Ghanaian workers.
The move is expected to help boost industrialisation, employment opportunities, economic growth and private-sector development in Ghana.
China’s Assistant Minister for Commerce, Zhang Li, commended Ghana for its recent economic progress and expressed China’s commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation.
He also pledged deeper Chinese support for Ghana’s Big Push Programme, a government initiative focused on accelerating infrastructure development and economic transformation.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Nyarko Ampem, Chief Director Patrick Nomo, and Director of External Resources Mobilisation Isaac Fraikue.
Source: newsthemegh.com