By 
Ghana is positioning its exporters to take advantage of China’s decision to grant zero-tariff access to products from 53 African countries with which it maintains diplomatic relations.
The policy, which took effect on May 1, 2026, is expected to lower the cost of Ghanaian goods entering the Chinese market while creating opportunities to increase exports, attract investment, promote local processing and deepen economic cooperation between the two countries.
The opportunities were discussed at a Ghana-China Zero-Tariff Policy Roundtable in Accra, where China’s Ambassador to Ghana, Cong Song, outlined three key areas for Ghana to maximise the policy: Access, Alignment and Advocacy.
According to data from China’s General Administration of Customs, trade between Ghana and China reached a record US$14.12 billion in 2025.
Ghana’s exports to China stood at US$2.67 billion, representing a 33.9 per cent year-on-year increase.
Ambassador Cong Song said the positive trend had continued since the introduction of the zero-tariff policy, with China’s imports from Ghana reaching US$290 million in June 2026.
The figure represented a 6.1 per cent increase compared with June 2025 and a 166 per cent rise from the previous month. June’s imports also accounted for 27 per cent of China’s total imports from Ghana during the first half of 2026.
Access to China’s growing market
Explaining the first pillar, Access, Cong Song said the removal of tariffs would reduce the cost of African products entering China and improve their competitiveness.
He cited Ghanaian cocoa as one of the products that could benefit significantly, noting that it previously faced tariffs ranging between 8 and 22 per cent in the Chinese market.
Other Ghanaian products with export potential include cocoa products, cashew kernels, shea butter, textiles, handicrafts, pineapples, mangoes and coconuts.
The ambassador, however, stressed that the opportunity extends beyond simply exporting more raw commodities.
Aligning trade with industrial development
The second pillar, Alignment, focuses on connecting increased access to the Chinese market with Ghana’s industrialisation and value-addition ambitions.
Cong Song noted that capital and intermediate goods account for about 75 per cent of China’s exports to Africa, creating opportunities for African economies to access equipment and inputs required for industrial and agricultural development.
He said increased Chinese investment could bring capital, technology, machinery and technical expertise to Ghana, while supporting local processing before products are exported to China.
For Ghanaian businesses, the approach could create an opportunity to move higher up the value chain rather than relying predominantly on exports of unprocessed commodities.
Local processing could also generate employment, strengthen domestic manufacturing capacity and increase the economic value retained within Ghana.
Stronger advocacy for trade opportunities
The third pillar, Advocacy, focuses on strengthening China-Africa trade cooperation and ensuring that businesses can effectively take advantage of the new market access.
The roundtable was jointly organised by the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) and the Africa-China Centre for Policy and Advisory (ACCPA).
It brought together policymakers, business leaders, financial institutions, development partners, researchers and industry experts to examine export readiness, trade facilitation, investment opportunities and measures required to improve Ghanaian businesses’ access to the Chinese market.
CEIBS Director, Professor Gordon Adomdza, said the institution was prepared to provide capacity-building support to individuals and organisations across the value chain.
He said such support would help stakeholders develop the knowledge and skills required to take advantage of the zero-tariff policy.
The Executive Director of ACCPA, Paul Frimpong, said the Centre would continue working with policymakers, industry stakeholders and academia to identify and address bottlenecks that could limit the policy’s impact.
Tariff-free access not enough
Stakeholders at the roundtable cautioned that eliminating tariffs alone would not automatically translate into higher Ghanaian exports.
They said local businesses would need to strengthen production capacity, meet international quality and certification requirements, improve processing and packaging, and develop more efficient logistics systems.
Greater understanding of Chinese consumer preferences, distribution channels and market requirements would also be necessary for Ghanaian exporters seeking to establish sustainable relationships in China.
The policy therefore presents Ghana with both an opportunity and a challenge: while tariff-free access can lower the cost of entering the Chinese market, businesses must have the capacity to produce goods consistently and meet the standards required by Chinese buyers.
For Ghana, the broader objective will be to convert increased market access into higher exports, local value addition, investment and job creation, while building the productive capacity needed to compete sustainably in one of the world’s largest markets.
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