Ghana hosts first ECOWAS industrial summit

Ghana on Thursday hosted the first Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) industrial summit in Accra.

The one-day summit brought together key stakeholders to deliberate on the Sub-region’s industrial development to enhance the socio-economic wellbeing of citizens.

The summit was held under the theme: "Protecting investment to accelerate the industrialisation of the West African sub-region" at the Accra International Conference Centre.

Participants discussed key issues such as standard industrial policy among member states, challenges in the pharmaceutical industry, automotive industry in the region and the export potential of the textile and garments industry.

The Chairman of the summit, Mrs Kate Quartey-Papafio advocated for the removal of intra-trade barriers in the sub-region.

Quartey-Papafio said this could be achieved through close collaboration of member states.

President John Mahama in a speech read on his behalf by Trade and Industry Minister, Dr Ekow Spio-Garbrah, called for increased intra-Africa trade before we think of global supply chain nexus.

"Our industrialisation effort has to keep a regional market focus through increased intra-African trade before we think of global supply chain nexus."

President Mahama further called for ways to remove industrialisation gabs in the sub-region.

"The burgeoning question now is how West Africa should pursue its industrialisation agenda. Many pathways exist, but as latecomers, we can latch onto existing best practices to close the lacuna while defining and clearly designing our own pathway based on our own realities, he said.