Ghana’s Non-Traditional Exports (NTEs) in 2024 recorded earnings of US$3.83 billion, reaching 152 countries across 609 product lines, and involving over 1,500 exporting firms.
The country’s NTEs have shown steady and consistent growth, significantly contributing to the country’s overall export performance.
Statistics from the Ghana Export Promotion Authority’s (GEPA) 2024 Non-Traditional Exports launched in Accra on Thursday, May 15, 2025, revealed the country’s export earnings as $3,830,806, 432 compared to $3,944,146,727 in 2023.
Although the statistics reflected a 2.87% dip from 2023’s performance, it was important to acknowledge the strength of the fundamentals.
The marginal dip was primarily linked to reduced exports in iron and steel products to the ECOWAS region; however, it registered encouraging gains in several other sectors.
The 2024 NTEs Report indicated that between 2020 and 2024, NTEs achieved an average annual growth rate of 6.01%, accounting for 18.75% of total merchandise exports in 2024.
During the unveiling of the 2024 NTEs statistics highlights in Accra on Thursday, Mr Francis Kojo Kwarteng Arthur, the Chief Executive Officer of GEPA, said despite a slight decline in NTEs in 2024, NTEs remained a crucial part of Ghana’s export portfolio.
The resilience is attributed to enhanced export competitiveness, facilitated by streamlined export procedures and faster consignment processing.
Mr Kwarteng Arthur said Ghana’s NTEs reached African markets with very strong performance.
“In fact, Africa accounted for 45% of all NTEs, with the ECOWAS region making up over 94% of Ghana’s exports to the AfCFTA market.
“This report is not just a record of export figures, it is a confirmation to the vision, innovation, and perseverance of Ghanaian exporters.
“It tells a story of how Ghana continues to assert itself on the global stage, despite economic headwinds and shifting market dynamics,” the CEO of the GEPA said.
“The Manufactures and Semi-Processed sectors remain the backbone of our exports, contributing over 83% to total earnings. Of particular interest is the performance of cocoa paste, which grew by 35.54%, driven by robust demand from Europe and North America,” he added.
The CEO of GEPA noted that the NTEs performance highlighted Ghana’s competitive edge in value-added cocoa products, a direction the Authority would continue to champion.
“The Agricultural sector increased its contribution to 13.48%, while the Industrial Arts and Crafts sector recorded significant growth of nearly 23%, a powerful reminder of the global appetite for Ghana’s creative and cultural exports.
Mr Kwarteng Arthur said the NTEs earnings affirmed GEPA’s strategy to deepen regional trade and leverage trade protocols and regimes like the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme and AfCFTA.
“Looking ahead, GEPA is committed to aggressively implementing the Accelerated Export Development Programme.
“We will expand our market intelligence activities, forge new trade relationships, and work with stakeholders to boost medical tourism, structured labour export, and export offering in the IT-enabled services space,” he added.
Additionally, Mr Kwarteng Arthur indicated GEPA’s ambition to partner with Ghanaian tertiary institutions to recruit and position students strategically within the African market.
The NTEs sector represents one of the most promising avenues for Ghana’s sustainable economic transformation.
Mr Kwarteng Arthur encouraged every Ghanaian to continue to work together to diversify the nation’s export base and add more value to the products.
Mr Sampson Ahi, Deputy Minister of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, officially unveiled the 2024 NTEs Report.
GNA
