Assessing Domestic and Regional Factors Influencing Ghana’s Export Trade in Africa

Abstract

Ghana’s hopes of increasing export trade volumes and destinations to domestic economies within the African continent in order to foster growth and climb the economic ladder to become a middle income country is very much achievable. However, this objective to a great extent depends on regional integration and cooperation rather than the efforts of one single country or economy. Intermediary influencers such as distance play a major role in determining export destinations for Ghana, whilst endogenous issues like customs procedures and border related issues, tariffs and import quotas, and trade restrictions within the importing countries heavily affect Ghana’s trade volumes and destinations within the region. Thus the establishment of robust economic bodies and platforms to institutionalize universal trade regulations and reforms to enhance effective trade among member countries and reduce trade transactional processes, lengthy customs procedures and trade restrictions will not only affect Ghana positively but all other domestic economies within the region. Enjoying an effective export trade will also come as a result of the continent investing heavily in infrastructural development, complemented with effective transportation systems, better service provision via advanced technologies and human capital development.