By Godwill Arthur-Mensah
Accra, May 12, GNA – The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) has inaugurated a high-level technical team to craft a strategic document to guide government in navigating the economic and geopolitical impacts of the ongoing Iran war and broader global realignments.
The team is chaired by Professor William Baah-Boateng, the Vice Chancellor of Methodist University and former Head of the Department of Economics at the University of Ghana.
It was inaugurated by Dr. Nii Moi Thompson, the Chairman of the NDPC and Senior Presidential Advisor on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Accra.
This was in a statement issued by the Public Relations Unit of the Commission and copied to the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday.
Dr. Thompson, in the statement, observed that while the Israel/US–Iran conflict has heightened global uncertainty, significant shifts in trade and alliances had already begun before the war and are expected to continue.
He cited Canada’s pivot towards the European Union, Vietnam’s rise as an economic power, and China’s growing support for developing countries, including tariff-free access for African exports.
The technical team will assess China’s tariff-free scheme for African countries and identify how Ghana can maximize its benefits, explore opportunities within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and emerging markets in Latin America and Asia, examine prospects in traditional markets such as Europe and North America, analyse global supply chains and logistics networks and their implications for Ghana’s trade.
They will also review industrial, trade, and competition policies as foundations for Ghana’s industrialisation and modernisation.
Other members of the team include Dr. William Cantah, University of Cape Coast, Dr. Francis Kumah, retired IMF economist and advisor to the Bank of Ghana, Ms. Nelly Mireku, Director of Research, Ministry of Finance, Mr. Dominic Odoom, Head of Trade Statistics, Ghana Statistical Service, Dr. Adotey Anum, retired diplomat and economist, and Dr. Alfred Appiah, Canada-based economist and data scientist, and a representative from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Mr. Chris P. K. Conduah, international trade specialist at the Commission, will serve as secretary to the team.
The NDPC emphasised that the strategy will help Ghana position itself effectively in the short, medium, and long term, ensuring resilience and competitiveness in the evolving global economy.
GNA
Edited by Linda Asante Agyei
Reporter: Godwill Arthur-Mensah
Email: [email protected]