Exporter community urged to utilise ‘Impact hub’
The exporter community in Ghana have been urged to make maximum use of the ‘Impact hub,’ a technology-driven export trade information centre set up to serve as a one-stop-shop for up-to-date export related information for stakeholders in the export sector.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), Dr Afua Asabea Asare, who gave the advice said the hub was established to ensure that GEPA stayed on top of its responsibilities as a trade promotion organisation to facilitate easy access to up-to-date trade information and data.
“This is what we have created for our exporters to come and feel free and be themselves to access all the information and learn everything they want to learn about exports.
The space is not for our office staff to sit. It is for anybody who wants to export, anybody who is manufacturing, anybody who wants to understand the export business to come sit here and access all the information,” she said.
She said the hub had office spaces available for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to hold their meetings.
“If you want to meet with a potential client you can come here and meet. Any of our directors here is willing to support. We do not charge anything for it and because we do not charge people don’t believe we offer any of these services for free. They are scared to come,” she lamented.
She said that the hub offered monthly programmes where experts in the export sector came to lecture on best practices.
“I am pleading with you the media to help talk about the hub and the opportunities for exporters and importers to take advantage of,” she said.
She expressed the hope that the hub would drive young entrepreneurs who were aspiring to be big time exporters to achieve their future goals as well as serve as an incubator for potential exporters, especially young aspiring exporters who needed guidance and training on accessing trade information.
“Indeed, they are our primary target because the future belongs to them,” she said and urged the exporter community, young entrepreneurs, and the public to patronise the facility and make full
Hub
The GEPA Impact Hub exists to provide value-added services to exporters in a bid to meet the ultimate goal of the National Export Development Strategy which is to attain US$25.3 billion in non-traditional export earnings by 2029.
It is an IT-enabled hub with computers, online resources and a library located at the Africa Trade House where clients can access export-related information.
In addition to the services that the hub offers, key export sector regulatory agencies, the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and the Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate (PPRSD) of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) will provide part of their services from the hub to curtail the time and effort spent by clients moving from one office to the other in search of relevant information.
Other activities at the hub include a bi-monthly Ghana Export School webinars, office space for B2B meetings on-demand by client exporters, time with seasoned exporters, mentoring sessions with students with bankable export projects and quarterly masterclass sessions.
The trade library at the hub offers current information resources on international trade. The resources are both physical and online, and include the International Trade Centre’s market analysis tools such as trade and investment maps.