Afruibana was present in London, on Tuesday June 6 and Wednesday June 7, as part of the 3rd edition of the Ghana Investment and Opportunities Summit, which was attended by Golden Exotics Limited, a member of BPA and AFRUIBANA. The opportunity for the association to continue its dialogue with the British authorities.

The GHIOS brings together investors to present the characteristics of Ghana's attractiveness and the reasons that should make the country a preferred destination for investors planning to do business in Africa. Organized by the Ghana High Commission in the UK in partnership with the Ghana Investment Promotion Center (GIPC), the theme for this year's GHIOS was: “Post-Covid Economic Recovery: Opportunities for the Investor”.

With real political stability, a favorable business environment, significant mobilization of both the public and private sectors, a skilled workforce and excellent sea and air links with Europe and the United States, Ghana has real advantages for foreign investors. In addition, since 2020 Ghana has hosted the headquarters of the African Continental Free Trade Area (ZLECAf), spearheading economic integration for all African countries.

Present in Ghana for more than 20 years, Golden Exotics Limited (GEL) and its Managing Director, Benedict Rich, participated in the Summit and were invited to take part in the panel dedicated to sustainable agriculture. Benedict Rich began his intervention by recalling that the banana industry in Ghana is the third largest agricultural export by value and that it employs more than five thousand people. The Ghanaian banana sector is thus a symbol of Ghana's international success. He then spoke at length about the importance of technology for the banana sector.

He explained that: “Technology is absolutely essential in terms of productivity, but also in terms of traceability. We have devoted 3.5 million euros to this over the past three years. All our plants in the field are now barcoded and our workers are equipped with a scanner. Without this traceability, you are faced with questions about the origin of your food, the age of your fruit and, if a problem occurs during the trip, we can identify the origin of the incident. We are now able to export the highest quality bananas to the UK. In terms of productivity, this same program allows us to know which fruits are ripe. Our growers just need to take their scanner to know which plant is ready to harvest. He therefore goes directly to this plant, without wasting time. »

GEL is part of the Banana Producers Association (BPA) at the national level, which is at its level a member of Afruibana in 2018. Since the Ghanaian producers joined Afruibana, the three main African banana exporting countries have been able to speak with one voice with the European Union and all the other institutional players.

Jean-François Billot, Secretary General of Afruibana, also present in London, specifies that: "The 3rd edition of this Summit, the first post-pandemic, is an important event for our sector, the banana representing the 3rd agricultural sector of exports for the country in value, and for our Ghanaian producers, more than 20% of their production being exported to the United Kingdom. It was therefore essential for us to be here, to support our members and reaffirm the close ties that unite the United Kingdom and Africa. Likewise, we wanted to take this opportunity to reiterate our message of caution, reminding our countries in particular of the very sensitive nature of bananas in any consideration of international trade. And, finally, to renew our message about the importance, especially for developing countries and Commonwealth partners, of the stability of the UK's international trade policy. »

About Afruibana

Afruibana is a pan-African association of African fruit producers and exporters. It was born from the grouping of several associations of fruit producers and exporters from Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon and Ghana. While the majority of Afruibana members are now banana producers, Afruibana is an open platform that aims to bring together the interests of the fruit sector in Africa. The association represents and wishes to carry the voice of African fruit producers within European and international institutions in the context of the negotiation of bilateral and multilateral trade agreements. Afruibana has a permanent representation in Paris and focuses its action on relations between African producers and exporters and the European Union.

For more information: afruibana.com