Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang on Wednesday called on the Ghana Export-Import Bank (GEXIM) to sharpen its focus on small businesses, value addition, and industrial production as the bank enters its second decade of operations.
She made the call at the opening of the GEXIM@10 International Conference at the Kempinski Gold Coast Hotel in Accra, a two-day gathering of policymakers, development finance institutions, and private sector leaders convened to chart the bank’s strategic direction through 2030.
The conference, held under the theme “A Decade of Enabling Export Trade and Industrial Transformation: Resetting GEXIM for the Next Frontier,” marks ten years since GEXIM was established under Act 911 in 2016 with a mandate to move Ghana beyond raw commodity exports toward value-added industrial production.
Opoku-Agyemang acknowledged the bank’s contributions to agriculture, manufacturing, and non-traditional exports over the past decade but stressed that shifting global trade dynamics now demand more deliberate institutional responses and targeted efforts to move Ghanaian producers further up the value chain.
Deputy Minister for Trade, Agribusiness, and Industry Sampson Ahi described the event as a working session, saying its measure of success would be the quality of practical, time-bound solutions it produced for constraints facing exporters, including access to finance, compliance costs, and export readiness.
Chief Executive of GEXIM Sylvester Adinam Mensah outlined a results-oriented second phase for the bank, anchored on sector prioritisation, micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) development, and expanded trade finance instruments. He described 2026 as a critical turning point, with the bank’s five-year strategic plan for 2025 to 2030 now moving from design into full implementation.
Day one sessions examined the role of export-import banks in driving national trade competitiveness and the evolving position of development finance institutions across Africa. Bank of Ghana Governor Johnson Pandit Asiama participated in a fireside chat on exchange rate stability, discussing policy trade-offs, investor confidence, and the implications for export competitiveness following the cedi’s recent gradual stabilisation.
Other panels explored how innovative collateral systems, guarantees, and risk mitigation tools could unlock export potential among smaller firms. A keynote address also examined the growing application of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital platforms within export finance systems.
The conference also witnessed the formal signing of memorandums of understanding with key industry partners, alongside the opening of an exhibition showcasing enterprises that have benefited from GEXIM financing since 2016.
Day two proceedings continue on Thursday, with the event expected to close with a set of actionable recommendations to guide GEXIM’s medium-term strategy and accelerate Ghana’s transition toward a more industrialised, export-led economy.
