CPC adjudged best exporter of the year 2010
The Cocoa Processing Company Limited, manufacturers of cocoa butter, has been adjudged the overall exporter of the year 2010 in the country at the 21st National Awards for Export Achievement.
Other awardees included Ghana Specialty Fats industries, Golden Exotics Limited, Ghana Rubber Estate Limited, Praise Export Services Limited, Panofi Company Limited, Pen and Plastics Ghana Limited, Africa Explosives Ghana Limited, Tema Steel Company, Pinora Limited and PZ Cussons Ghana Limited.
The award scheme was instituted to motivate exporters of non-traditional goods and also diversify Ghana's export base from the traditional gold and other unprocessed products.
The Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Joseph Samuel Annan, noted that government was tailoring efforts to create a conductive environment for exporters of non-traditional goods and services to operate.
He said currently the Ministry was finalising a National Export Strategy for the non-traditional export sector, which aimed at providing a common roadmap for all stakeholders to exploit and maximize their potentials of the NTE.
“This will ensure that the sector made maximum contribution to the Gross Domestic Product growth to consolidate and enhance the country’s middle-income status, while creating formal decent job opportunity and ensure high standards of living for Ghanaians,” he explained.
Dr Annan added that the Ministry has launched the Industrial Sector Support Programme (ISSP) 2011-2015 to provide guidelines for the implementation of government’s industrial development agenda in ensuring the competitiveness and growth of Ghana’s manufacturing sector.
“Under the ISSP, the MOTI will collaborate with the Ghana Export Promotion Authority, the Export Development and Investment Fund and other agencies to design and implement export development programmes in the manufacturing sector,’’ he said.
Dr Annan noted that the objective was to address the challenges of the low production capacities, low productivity, and lack of requisite market information, poor product quality and unattractive packaging.
He said government was seeking a regional Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union (EU) to protect the access to the EU market.
On his part, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Export Promotion Council (GEPC), Mr. Kwodwo Owusu, said the objectives of setting up the awards scheme was yielding results as the leading ten earning non-traditional export products have earned the country over one billion dollars in 2010.
He noted that the new enterprise and product development will set focus on sectors with high growth potential, while training the smaller and medium exporters in the value chain to upgrade products into higher earning status.
Accra, May 17, 2012
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