Professor Godfred Bokpin, an economist, has weighed in on Ghana’s zero-tariff deal with China.
He noted that the deal must be seen primarily from China’s perspective, not Ghana’s.
According to him, China stands to gain more from the zero-tariff trade agreement with Ghana.
Prof. Bokpin criticised the government for failing to consult key stakeholders like before agreeing to the deal.
He highlighted that even before the agreement, Chinese goods had already flooded the Ghanaian market.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on October 15, Prof. Bokpin stated, “China needed this more. China wants to reduce its exposure to the US market and diversify. China has been doing this consistently.
“If you look at the expansion in terms of trade openness between China and Africa, you can see China is very strategic. They want to reduce their exposure to the US, and they need markets.”
He noted, “Do you want it to get worse?” he asked. “Even with some level of tariffs, Chinese goods are all over the place.”
“They are the big players, the ones doing the numbers,” he said. “You needed broad-based consultation to understand how they see it.”
He added, “This is just an aspect of a bigger picture that China has for Africa. Recently, a team of experts from China visited Ghana to identify investable projects—part of a broader agenda.”
Prof Bokpin noted that Ghana did not have a choice, “We don’t have an option. China is quite powerful as a trading partner and a development partner. Given what we have seen in the last 20 years with Paris Club creditors and the rise of non-Paris Club creditors, we don’t have many options.”
“Have we sat down to develop a strategy? Does Africa have a strategy to engage the rest of the world?” he asked.
He further pointed to Ghana’s structural weaknesses, “Having the African Continental Free Trade Area doesn’t mean we are taking advantage of it. It’s like saying that because Africa has more slots in the World Cup, it will win. It depends on how you prepare your players, who are your industrial sector actors and investors.”
“Our economic orientation is not designed to favour exports. Everything we are doing here is import-driven,” he said.
“Look at our financial system—it supports imports, not production. The portion of private sector credit that goes to agriculture and manufacturing is small compared to what goes to services that fund trade.”
Meanwhile, President John Mahama and Lordina Dramani Mahama, the first lady, were in Beijing, China, on October 12, 2025, to participate in a Global Leaders’ Meeting on Women.
President Mahama and President Xi seized the opportunity to finalise the 0% tariff agreement signed on October 28, 2025.
Ghana has now become the second African country to seal a 0% tariff agreement with China and usher in a new era of enhanced and unimpeded trade.
Reports suggest China is Ghana’s largest bilateral trading partner with 2024 trade volumes exceeding US$11.8billion.