The Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) is the lead national Trade Promotion Organization established by NLCD 369 in 1969 as an agency of the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI) cloaked with the mandate to develop and promote Ghanaian exports.
GEPA gives important and ideal exchange data to buyers keen on enduring quality products from the country. They however, assist to make well-informed decisions on doing business in Ghana. The Authority links buyers to Ghanaian exporters and focuses on diversifying Ghana’s export base.
GEPA promotes the exports of Ghanaian products and services through;
- Research and development of products and markets for Ghanaian exporters
- Training and equipping exporters and other public agencies on export trade issues
- Giving advisory services to all segments of the export value chain, particularly SMEs
- Undertaking strategic and relevant interventions in high value export potential products
- Operating the GEPA Market Hub to connect the world to exportable products from Ghana that complies with local and international standards, and
- Partnering with local and multilateral organizations to execute relevant national export projects
Partnership Between TIAST Group and GEPA
TIAST in partnership with GEPA have signed an MOU to provide a framework for cooperation amongst the organizations for the development and strengthening of the cassava value chain in Ghana. The following are the responsibilities of GEPA in ensuring a productive and secured export trade.
- GEPA is responsible for scanning the cassava industry to identify actors within the value chain to discuss the project with them for their inputs;
- Also, GEPA identifies smallholder farms to form a consortium or a cassava cluster with the view to obtaining bulk cassava for the processing sector of the value chain;
- In addition, GEPA sees to the facilitation of easy access to land banks through interaction with chiefs and families in cassava growing areas;
- Facilitate the provision of disease tolerant cassava stems to farmers for cultivation at a cost to be determined;
- Facilitate access to alternative international market destinations for cassava starch if primary off-takers do not offtake;
- Facilitate offtaker/processor negotiations between the parties should the need arise;Undertake stakeholder engagement to build broad consensus on the importance of the Project in Ghana, including advocacy with any relevant stakeholders in government, private sector and other business support organizations;
- GEPA in collaboration with stakeholders provide training support to farmers on Good Agricultural Practice and;
- Provide relevant market information on cassava to processors and farmers to engender transparency
The partnership is to build a strong relationship with GEPA, so as to foster a collective growth in the agricultural export industry.