The Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, in collaboration with the GIZ Trade Hub, on Tuesday, 25th November, 2025 held a capacity-building workshop in Accra to review Ghana’s Regulatory Audit Report on Trade in Services and examine its implications for the country’s commitments under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The day-long programme, brought together stakeholders from the business, financial and allied services sectors to assess key regulatory barriers and prepare Ghana for the next phase of services liberalisation under AfCFTA.
Delivering the Ministry’s welcome remarks, Madam Stella A. Ansah, Director of Multilateral, Regional and Bilateral Trade, (MRBT) underscored the centrality of the services sector to Ghana’s economy. She noted that the sector contributed 46.8 percent to GDP in the first quarter of 2025, driven largely by IT, financial, and insurance services.
With negotiations on AfCFTA’s trade rules concluded and member states now expected to progressively open their services markets, she stressed the need for a deeper understanding of which sectors Ghana should liberalise and to what extent.
Madam Ansah expressed appreciation to GIZ for its continuous technical support in building the Ministry’s capacity. She emphasised that feedback from participants will be critical in shaping Ghana’s final commitments under AfCFTA. “At the end of the day, you will see me knocking at your doors for your inputs to help Ghana take a good decision in submitting our commitments,” she said.
In her remarks, Ms. Sophea Kamarudeen of GIZ noted that while earlier AfCFTA engagements focused heavily on trade in goods, attention in recent years has shifted toward trade in services, particularly business and financial services, which formed the focus of the workshop.
She explained that today’s session aimed to validate the findings of the Regulatory Audit Report first completed in 2021 and to determine whether the recommendations still reflect the current realities of the sector. She added that Ghana, like other AfCFTA member states, is expected to show progressive improvement in its commitments at each negotiation round, and the insights gathered from stakeholders will guide the Ministry in refining its positions.
She further indicated that the European Union had provided additional financing to strengthen support for services negotiations under the protocol, making workshops like this crucial for the preparatory work ahead.
Participants spent the day engaging with presentations by Professor Paul Kuruk of the Institute for African Development (INADEV), who served as facilitator and resource person. His sessions covered the classification of services, modes of supply, barriers to trade in services, and a detailed walkthrough of the Draft Regulatory Audit Report.
Stakeholders also discussed the draft report extensively, validated key components, and proposed further recommendations to guide Ghana’s next steps at the negotiating table.
The workshop concluded with reflections on outstanding issues, next steps, and a renewed commitment to ensure that Ghana’s services-sector commitments under AfCFTA reflect both national interests and emerging opportunities for economic growth and competitiveness
