Interview: Stakeholders see China Trade Week a new impetus in China-Ghana relations

Ghanaians speaking to Xinhua here on Wednesday believed the China Trade Week is a very good initiative that will bring bilateral relations between their two countries to another level.

Incoming Ghana Ambassador to China, Edward Boateng, said it was good time for Ghana to have the China Trade Week held here.

"It is a good start; as you can see, there are about 40 Chinese companies represented and Ghana is a growing hub for business in West Africa. I think next year we expect to see more companies. I can only see the China Trade Week in Ghana getting better."

He said the time was ripe for Ghana to seek support and expertise from China to meet the developmental aspirations of the citizens.

"I think, as you know, one of our key campaign promises is that every district in this country we are going to provide them with one factory. It is something that is very important for us and which better country to go to at this time than China which has done it.

"Most countries, including the western countries, are going to China for this sort of partnership. So we are not only looking to China for trade, but we are also looking to China for manufacturing and production partnerships," he added.

Businessman Erick Bertin Houadjeto lauded the initiative, asking for subsequent ones in Ghana to be extended over a longer period.

"We saw this advert and we thought it was a brilliant idea. Ghana and China have had good bilateral relations and we thought this was a step in forwarding these ties. And I think the display of goods, there are goods that are important for our current developmental stage, especially when we look at the area of the solar paneling; when we look at irrigation projects for our agriculture and there are a lot of things even for event management, the tents and other logistics," the businessman added.

There were approximately 50 Chinese companies selected from various sectors, including power energy, lighting, home electronics, construction, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), clothing and textiles as well as personal care participating in the two-day exhibition.

Immediate past Ghana Ambassador to China, Anani Demuyakor, singled out the Belt and Road Initiative by the Chinese government as one of the things Ghana had a lot to learn from China to achieve its developmental aspirations.

"Let's go out, let's learn from outsiders and let's take our civilization and our culture outside. So Ghanaians, we have to understand there are a lot of benefits and we have to sit down and plan and plug in where we can benefit as a nation," he urged.

Nash, a Ghanaian who imports from China, expressed appreciation to the organizers of the China Trade Week, saying it would bring Chinese manufacturers closer to importers in Ghana.

"Most of the materials and goods in Ghana, like 80 percent of them, come from China so we want to see how this China trade week will develop and get us better sourcing from China," he added. Endit