As Ghana continues to record more coronavirus COVID-19 cases, various organisations are collaborating with government and its agencies to support the national fight against the pandemic.
The Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), the institution mandated to facilitate development and promote Ghana’s non-traditional exports, has presented a variety of safety items, as their support in helping
Handicraft Export Communities fight against COVID-19.
The items, presented to representatives of three arts and craft centres in Accra, Aburi and Tetteh Quashie, comprise 3,000 bottles of alcohol-based sanitizers 3,300 face masks, 50 Veronica Buckets, liquid soap, disposable tissue and waste bins.
Presenting the items to executives of the Association of Handicraft Exporters, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of GEPA, Samuel Dentu, empathized with the members on the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on their business operations, explaining that even though the health crisis has affected export, GEPA is putting measures in place to minimise its impact as well as return to normalcy post-Covid.
He called on art dealers to take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) to do business in emerging markets within the African continent.
Mr. Dentu also encouraged art dealers to use the downtime period to evaluate how their businesses can tap into new technology powered by the Internet such as e-commerce and social media marketing to enable them sell to customers from all over the world.
Mr. Dentu called on the Association members to continue adhering to the COVID-19 safety protocols including wearing of nose masks, social distancing, washing of hands with soap under running water and using alcohol-based sanitizers.
The Vice President of the National Association of Handicraft Exporters (NAHE) Fulera Seidu, thanked GEPA for the gesture and called for continued collaboration to promote export within the sector.
GEPA’s last report on non-traditional exports recorded a 23.65% growth rate in the handicraft sector over 2017 figures, and a 77.23% growth rate in hides and skins over 2017 figures. Ceramic products led the sector’s earnings with a value of 10.7 million USD.