Trade and development officials from the United States and Ghana met Tuesday in Washington to review progress in deepening their partnership on trade and investment issues. This was the fifth meeting of the U.S.-Ghana Trade and Investment Council since the forum for senior-level discussions was created in 1999. The Council, established pursuant to the United States-Ghana Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, monitors bilateral trade and investment relations and facilitates an ongoing dialogue to help increase commercial and investment trade opportunities. At the meeting, officials explored several common objectives, including cooperation in the World Trade Organization, implementation of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, export diversification, intellectual property protection and enforcement, trade capacity-building and technical assistance, and infrastructure issues. Trade between the countries was valued at $572 million during the first 11 months of 2007, a 31-percent increase over the same period in 2006. U.S. exports to Ghana totaled $385 million, up 44 percent. Imports from Ghana were valued at $187 million, a gain of 11 percent. U.S. imports from Ghana under AGOA and the Generalized System of Preferences rose 53 percent to $66.5 million. They included petroleum, apparel, yams, cassava, cocoa paste, and wood ornaments.
Journal of Commerce
