Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama said that the zero-tariff policy with China will further boost trade between the two countries, as Ghana seeks to sync up on product standards to increase exports to China.
In an interview with China Media Group (CMG) aired Friday, the president hailed the economic and trade cooperation with China. Ghana is among the first sub-Saharan countries to establish diplomatic relations with China and remains an important strategic partner of China in Africa.
In 2024, the trade volume between Ghana and China reached 11.8 billion U.S. dollars, with an annual growth rate exceeding 7 percent, and this growth momentum has continued into 2025.
"Actually, China is Ghana's biggest trading partner, and trade between Ghana and China has continued to grow exponentially. The zero-tariff policy is now kicking in and so I believe that it will create a conducive atmosphere for us to grow that trade even more," he said.
To achieve truly sustainable growth, China and Ghana are working together to address practical challenges and align their economic strategies, moving from trade in raw materials to a more value-added collaboration, the president noted.
"We're looking on the Ghanaian side for Chinese industries to come and help us add value to the products that we have, so that we can export back into the Chinese market. Apart from that, there's the important issue of harmonization of standards. China has about 40 standards and so we need to harmonize our standards with the Chinese standards so that it makes it easier for us to export into the Chinese market. So those are the areas that are ironing out and I think that we can reach an understanding as long as the relationship between us is what it is," said the president.
Zero-tariff policy to boost Ghana-China trade: Ghanaian president
