The Ghana Export Import Bank has officially launched its 10th anniversary celebration and unveiled new strategies for using exports to promote industrial growth and economic transformation across the country through year long activities including a major agricultural technology fair and international conference.
Chief Executive Officer Sylvester Mensah revealed during the launch that the anniversary will be observed throughout the year with several initiatives, including the Agricultural and Agro processing and Industrial Technology Fair themed AGROTECH Fair 2026, which will showcase locally manufactured agricultural machinery, implements, agro processing equipment, and technologies to promote local manufacturing and improve productivity across the agricultural value chain.
Other activities include corporate social responsibility initiatives and an international conference scheduled for March 25 through 26 at Kempinski Gold Coast Hotel in Accra under the theme A Decade of Enabling Export Trade and Industrial Transformation: Resetting GEXIM for the Next Frontier. The conference is expected to attract President John Dramani Mahama and the Minister of Trade and Industry alongside export import banks, development finance institutions, policymakers, private sector players, and international partners.
Mensah emphasized the theme’s intentionality in recognizing progress made supporting value addition and export oriented enterprises while acknowledging that the next decade will demand greater agility, deeper partnerships, smarter instruments, and stronger alignment with Ghana’s evolving economic priorities.
“This theme is intentional,” he stated. “It recognises the progress made, supporting value addition and export-oriented enterprises, and also acknowledges that the next decade will demand more agility, deeper partnerships, smarter instruments and stronger alignment with Ghana’s evolving economic priorities.”
The Ghana Export Import (GEXIM) Bank CEO explained the conference aims to review achievements over the past decade, discuss global trends affecting export finance, strengthen partnerships, and identify solutions needed to guide the bank’s future direction. The event will facilitate high level discussions on emerging global trends in export finance, trade competitiveness, and industrial development.
To ensure discussions remain concrete and relevant to Ghana’s real economy, the conference will feature focused sessions on using digital tools and artificial intelligence in export finance, better collateral and credit support for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), and challenges and opportunities in key value chains including garments and apparel, poultry, rice, and oil palm.
Another session titled Resetting GEXIM for the Next Frontier will outline the bank’s strategic priorities for the 2025 through 2030 period. This strategic mapping comes as GEXIM begins implementing its five year strategic plan in earnest during 2026.
Mensah stressed that the past ten years has taught GEXIM that export growth is not a slogan but a system requiring capital that is patient and well structured. He noted effective export development demands risk mitigation tools that unlock confidence for lenders and investors, market intelligence, standards, and the discipline to compete internationally.
“It requires risk-mitigation tools which unlock confidence for lenders and investors. It requires market intelligence, standards and the discipline to compete, and it requires institutions that can convene stakeholders and align incentives,” he underscored.
GEXIM was established in 2016 under the Ghana Export Import Bank Act, Act 911, to help Ghana move away from exporting mainly raw materials toward exporting more value added products. Over the past decade, the institution has translated that mandate into practical support through financing, guarantees, and technical assistance to businesses across priority sectors.
Board Chairman Doctor Joseph Nyarkotei Dorh established that the conference will be deliberately inclusive and action oriented, bringing together export import banks and Export Credit Agencies, Development Finance Institutions, government ministries, commercial banks, diplomatic missions, GEXIM funded businesses, and other key stakeholders.
“It will bring together EXIM banks and Export Credit Agencies, Development Finance Institutions, government, ministries, commercial banks, diplomatic missions, GEXIM-funded businesses and other key stakeholders,” Nyarkotei Dorh said.
According to the board chairman, the significance of GEXIM at 10 is simple in that Ghana’s next phase of economic development will be shaped by the country’s ability to earn more from what is produced, adding value before export and building industries that are resilient, competitive, and globally connected.
“Export finance is not only about funding transactions; it is also about enabling transformation,” he stressed. Nyarkotei Dorh described the anniversary as a milestone in Ghana’s export led growth agenda and said the upcoming conference would be open, action oriented, and ecosystem driven, featuring plenary sessions, technical panels, and exhibitions of GEXIM supported enterprises.
The chairman added that ten years represents a meaningful chapter but not the full story, noting the next decade will be defined by how boldly stakeholders collaborate, how intelligently they innovate, and how consistently they invest in Ghanaian enterprise.
Mensah explained that as a policy and development bank, GEXIM has no business competing with commercial banks or spreading credit across all sectors. The institution’s role is to focus on areas that have significant impact on the economy, particularly those supporting export competitiveness and industrial transformation.
Over the last decade, GEXIM has helped strengthen Ghana’s export system by supporting enterprises to expand production, improve quality, and access new markets. The bank has backed initiatives contributing to export diversification and industrial development with particular attention to the real economy where jobs are created and competitiveness is won.
The AGROTECH Fair 2026 represents a strategic initiative to showcase Ghana’s growing capacity in agricultural mechanization and agro processing technology. The fair aims to demonstrate that locally manufactured equipment can compete with imported alternatives while better serving the specific needs of Ghanaian farmers and processors.
Conference sessions will explore blended finance models that combine GEXIM’s patient capital with commercial bank funding to reduce borrowing costs for exporters and manufacturers. This approach particularly targets MSMEs that struggle to access affordable financing despite strong business models and export potential.
Priority value chains identified for focused discussion include garments and apparel, where Ghana seeks to capitalize on the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) extension and geopolitical shifts bringing global brands closer to Africa. Mensah noted some products previously sourced abroad are now being produced in Ghana, creating opportunities to generate jobs and strengthen the local economy.
The poultry value chain will receive significant attention following government’s Akuko Nkintikiti initiative aimed at achieving self sufficiency in chicken production. GEXIM has committed to providing low interest loan facilities to farmers participating in the programme, working with commercial banks to blend finance such that high interest rates are tempered by GEXIM’s concessional terms.
Mensah revealed GEXIM studied Côte d’Ivoire’s policy framework and government support mechanisms that enabled the neighboring country to achieve independence from frozen chicken imports. He expressed confidence Ghana can move faster toward achieving at least sufficiency in poultry production sooner than later based on knowledge acquired from multiple countries.
The rice value chain presents opportunities for import substitution as Ghana continues spending substantial foreign exchange on rice imports despite suitable growing conditions and available land. GEXIM aims to support integrated rice value chains that link farmers, processors, and marketers through coordinated financing and technical assistance.
Oil palm represents another strategic value chain where GEXIM seeks to support domestic processing capacity expansion. Ghana exports crude palm oil while importing refined products, missing value addition opportunities that could generate employment and retain more economic benefits domestically.
The use of artificial intelligence and digital tools in export finance will be explored as GEXIM examines how technology can improve credit assessment, supply chain monitoring, market intelligence, and customer service delivery. Digital platforms can reduce transaction costs while expanding access to underserved markets and clients.
Improved collateral and credit support mechanisms for MSMEs will address persistent challenges small businesses face accessing export finance. Traditional collateral requirements often exclude promising enterprises that lack fixed assets but possess strong management, market access, and growth potential.
The conference will generate actionable recommendations to guide GEXIM’s medium to long term strategy as Ghana adapts to evolving trade, finance, and technology dynamics. These recommendations will feed directly into the 2025 through 2030 strategic plan implementation starting in 2026.
Mensah described the conference as both a reflection and a reset, acknowledging progress made while recognizing the next decade will demand different capabilities and approaches. He positioned the event as preparing GEXIM and Ghana to compete more effectively in the next phase of global trade.
GEXIM plans to consolidate gains and leverage opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to position Ghana as a hub for export led growth. The chairman emphasized that deeper regional integration offers Ghana opportunities to serve larger markets while attracting investment in export oriented manufacturing.
The anniversary celebrations mark a decade during which GEXIM has established itself as a critical institution supporting Ghana’s industrial transformation ambitions. The bank’s patient capital, guarantees, and technical assistance have enabled enterprises to undertake investments and market development activities that commercial financing alone would not support.
Looking forward, GEXIM faces challenges including limited capitalization relative to financing demand, competition from commercial banks in viable segments, and the need to balance developmental objectives with financial sustainability. The strategic reset aims to address these tensions while positioning the institution for greater impact.
The two day conference beginning at 8 am each day will combine plenary sessions addressing broad themes with technical panels exploring specific sectoral challenges and opportunities. Exhibitions will showcase GEXIM supported enterprises, demonstrating tangible results from the bank’s interventions across different value chains.
International participants will share best practices from export import banks and export credit agencies in other jurisdictions, providing comparative perspectives on institutional design, product offerings, risk management, and partnership models. These exchanges aim to inform GEXIM’s evolution based on proven approaches adapted to Ghana’s context.
The inclusive, action oriented format reflects recognition that sustainable progress requires alignment among multiple stakeholders including government, private sector, development partners, and financial institutions. GEXIM positions itself as a convener bringing these actors together around shared objectives of export growth and industrial competitiveness.
Mensah invited media and all stakeholders to join the journey helping project the Ghana story and deepen penetration of made in Ghana goods in domestic, regional, and international markets. He emphasized collective effort is required to realize Ghana’s export potential and industrial transformation ambitions over the coming decade.
