The Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) has announced that the country's Non-Traditional Export (NTE) earnings have increased by 6% for the year 2022. The Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, Dokua Asiamah-Adjei, expressed her satisfaction with the growth and commended the efforts of individuals within the export value chain and the export fraternity for their relentless work that contributed to the positive outcome of the 2022 NTE statistics. The NTEs, which encompass a range of diversified products, recorded earnings of USD 3,531,048,234 in 2022, compared to USD 3,330,317,588 in the previous year. This growth has been attributed to a combination of structural changes within Ghana's NTE ecosystem and the effective implementation of the National Export Development Strategy (NEDS).
The implementation of the NEDS played a crucial role in facilitating the growth of the NTE sector, which focused on enhancing market access, improving product quality and standards, promoting value addition, and exploring emerging markets. These initiatives have led to an overall strengthening of Ghana's NTE sector and a diversification of its export offerings. The top ten NTE products for 2022 were cocoa paste, cashew nuts, cocoa butter, iron and steel circles, rods, sheets, billets, articles of plastics, aluminium plates, sheets and coils, canned tuna, natural rubber sheets, cocoa powder, and shea oil. Cocoa paste emerged as the highest earner, contributing USD 520.3 million, followed by cashew nuts with USD 294.2 million. The cumulative value of the top ten products accounted for USD 2,150,085,426, representing 60.9% of the total NTE earnings in 2022.
The market destinations for Ghana's NTEs were highlighted, including the ECOWAS, the European Union (EU) & United Kingdom, Other Developed Countries, Rest of African Countries, and Emerging Countries. The ECOWAS market remained the leading destination, accounting for 34.59% of the total market, followed closely by the EU & UK markets, contributing 31.90%. Burkina Faso emerged as the leading market destination for Ghana's NTEs, with a consumption value of USD 425.01 million, representing a 16% increase from the previous year. Togo followed with a significant 21% increase, consuming USD 198.05 million in 2022 compared to USD 156.88 million in 2021. The GEPA CEO expressed her optimism for the future of Ghana's NTE sector, citing the continuous efforts to diversify products, explore new markets, and enhance competitiveness.
