The Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI) is leading the establishment of common trade platform that would increase trade flows among neighboring ECOWAS countries.
The platform, ECOWAS Business Directory (ECOBIZ) system is an online business information system meant to promote intra community trade and investment opportunities existing in ECOWAS member states.
The overall objective is to deepen and promote business opportunities among neighbouring countries, which is in response to the collective drive of achieving the borderless ECOWAS trade.
The platform as well involves networking to improve cross-border economic ties between member companies of the national chambers of Ghana, Togo, Burkina Faso and Cote d’Ivoire among others.
Mr. Jean De Dieu SOMDA, Vice President of ECOWAS, made this disclosure in Accra when he paid a courtesy call on the senior executives of the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Accra to monitor and evaluate the progress of the ECOBIZ activities in the country.
“The project examines the utilization of ECOBIZ, an electronic platform established by the ECOWAS Commission to promote trade among ECOWAS Member States in pursuance of the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS).
“Interventions to enhance trans-border trade include the application of information and communications technology (ICT) in the conduct of business,” he stated.
Mr Emmanuel Doni-Kwame, acting Chief Executive, GNCCI explained The GNCCI is seriously working with counterpart chambers in the sub-region to influence policy decisions and enforcement in the removal of barriers that hinder the smooth transit of goods.
“The platform should identify the strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats of GNCCI and other related issues that impede GNCCI from achieving its objective of enhancing the performance of its member companies, to be committed to efforts to improve trade flows between Ghana and its neighboring countries within the framework of ECOWAS regional integration process,” he said.
Speaking in an interview with the B&FT, Mr. Doni-Kwami explained that ECOBIZ system is designed to contribute to the development of the external trade of ECOWAS member countries and which as a result give impetus to the ECOWAS trade liberalization scheme.
It particularly aims at the intensification of intra-community exchanges for economic operators namely producers, craftsmen, exporters, importers, agents and service providers in order to enable them establish business relations.
“Over 1053 products and services have been offered to other neighbouring countries whilst Ghana is demanding 219 products and service from businesses.”
He urged Ghanaian business operators to take advantage of the opportunities the platform offers to boost trade with neighboring countries.
To be able to access ECOBIZ, the user must have a computer connected to internet.
The address of the site: www.ecobiz.ecobiz.ecowas.int
The platform will provide information on: Trade events, periodic publication of the ECOBIZ Newsletter, business card of an enterprise which has already been registered, offers of products of registered enterprises, demands of products of registered enterprises and calls for tenders.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment