Member of Parliament for New Juaben South Constituency, Michael Okyere Baafi, says Ghana does not necessarily need a zero-tariff access to the Chinese market as being promoted by President John Mahama.
The Ranking Member of the Trade and Industry Committee proposed that the government should instead take full advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), which has been signed by 54 out of 55 African countries.
According to him, increased trade among African nations would build a more resilient continent than reliance on Western or Asian markets.
President Mahama had earlier announced at the 2025 China–Africa Summit that Ghana is set to sign a zero-tariff access agreement with China by the end of October 2025, granting Ghanaian products duty-free access to the Chinese market.
However, Mr. Okyere Baafi, a former Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry under the erstwhile Akufo-Addo administration, argues that the decision is not in Africa’s best interest and could undermine progress made toward advancing intra-African trade.
Speaking to the media in response to the announcement, the MP noted that China’s exports to Ghana increased by 46% between 2020 and 2024, while Ghana’s exports to China grew by only 11% over the same period.
He stressed that under such an arrangement, China stands to benefit far more than Ghana, making the agreement economically lopsided.
The Ranking Member urged the government to prioritize opportunities within the AfCFTA framework, emphasizing that trading within Africa would better promote Ghanaian products and benefit local manufacturers and exporters than entering into deals that could disadvantage the country in the long term.
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