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PRESS/TPRB/294 
28 January 2008 
 
(08-0373) 
TRADE POLICY REVIEW: GHANA 
Trade liberalization has helped to achieve higher economic growth 
Since its last Review in 2001, Ghana’s macroeconomic fundamentals have improved considerably. 
The steps taken to liberalize the trade regime through, inter alia , the reduction of its applied MFN 
tariffs and structural reforms, have helped Ghana to  achieve higher growth rates, reaching 6,2% in 
2006, according to a WTO Secretariat report on the trade policies and practices of Ghana.  
The current tariff structure, the report notes, inhi bits the competitiveness of certain industries and 
may not encourage investment in others. Infrastructural problems and difficult access to financing also limit Ghana’s economic performance. 
 
The report says that continued reforms, including adoption of a competition policy, streamlining of customs procedures, rationalization of the tariff regime, further privatization, and the improvement 
of Ghana’s multilateral commitments on goods and services, would improve the predictability of its 
trade regime and contribute to better resource allo cation with higher economic growth in the mid-
term. 
 
The WTO Secretariat report, along with a policy st atement by the Government of Ghana, will be 
the basis for the third TPR of Ghana by the Trad e Policy Review Body of the WTO on 28 and 30 of 
January 2008. 
 The following documents are available in MS Wo rd format on the WTO web-site. They can be 
downloaded at http://www.wto.org/english/ tratop_e/tpr_e/tp294_e.htm  
 • Secretariat reports 
> Contents and summary observations  
> Economic environment  > Trade and investment regimes  
> Trade policies and practices by measure  
> Trade policies by sector  > Appendix tables  
• Report by Government of Ghana 
• Chairperson’s concluding remarks  
• Minutes of the meeting (available appr oximately six weeks after the meeting). PRESS/TPRB/294 
Page 2 of 2 
 
 
Note 
Trade Policy Reviews are an exercise, mandated in the WTO Agreement, in which member countries’ trade and related policies are examined and evaluated at regular intervals. Significant 
developments that may have an impact on the global trading system are also monitored. For each 
review, two documents are prepared: a policy stat ement by the government of the member under 
review, and a detailed report written independently by the WTO Secretariat. These two documents are then discussed by the WTO’s full membership in  the Trade Policy Review Body (TPRB). These 
documents and the proceedings of the TPRB’s meetings are published shortly afterwards.  
 Print copies of the TPR publications are available for sale from the WTO Secretariat, Centre William 
Rappard, 154 rue de Lausanne, 1211 Genève 21 and through the on-line bookshop at 
https://secure.vtx.ch/shop/boutiques/wto_index_boutique.html  or follow this path :  
www.wto.org >resources > publications > trade policy reviews  
 
The TPR publications are also available from our co-publisher Bernan Press, 4611-F Assembly Drive, Lanham, MD 20706-4391, United States 
Next reviews: 
Mexico: 11 and 13 of February 2008 
Brunei Darussalam: 25 and 27 of February 2008 
Madagascar: 2 and 4 April 2008 
 For a full list of previous trade policy reviews and the full programme of future reviews go to 
http://www.wto.org/english/trat op_e/tpr_e/tpr_ e.htm#reviews 
or follow this path : www.wto.org > trade topics > trade policy reviews  
 
 
END