STORY: Ghanaian industry leader urges packaging improvement to leverage AfCFTA opportunities
SHOOTING TIME: April 23, 2024
DATELINE: April 25, 2024
LENGTH: 0:02:45
LOCATION: Accra
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the Production and Packaging (Propak) Ghana Exhibition
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): SETH TWUM-AKWABOAH, Chief executive officer of Association of Ghana Industries
3. various of the Production and Packaging (Propak) Ghana Exhibition
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): SETH TWUM-AKWABOAH, Chief executive officer of Association of Ghana Industries
5. various of the Production and Packaging (Propak) Ghana Exhibition
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): SETH TWUM-AKWABOAH, Chief executive officer of Association of Ghana Industries
7. various of the Production and Packaging (Propak) Ghana Exhibition
8. SOUNDBITE 4 (English): SETH TWUM-AKWABOAH, Chief executive officer of Association of Ghana Industries

STORYLINE:

An industry leader in Ghana on Tuesday called on African stakeholders to enhance the packaging of their products, which is critical to take advantage of opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Seth Twum-Akwaboah, chief executive officer of the Association of Ghana Industries, made this call during an interview at the second Production and Packaging (Propak) Ghana Exhibition.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): SETH TWUM-AKWABOAH, Chief executive officer of Association of Ghana Industries
"The advantage is that (AfCFTA) gives you a bigger market to harness. But then, there is the challenge. The challenge is that your market is going to be taken away if you are not competitive in your own market."

He said Ghanaian products are of high quality and can withstand competition from elsewhere, but these products need advanced packaging to withstand global competition.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): SETH TWUM-AKWABOAH, Chief executive officer of Association of Ghana Industries
"You must position yourself very well in the marketplace. When the consumers are going to buy something, normally he doesn't even look at where it is coming from, he's looking at the product he's holding. What is the packaging like? What is the content like? Does it serve my needs? Now, at that particular moment when the consumer is making a decision, it depends on what is presented."

He noted that in the era of globalization, with local producers targeting both domestic and international markets, packaging should also be of international standard to remain competitive.

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): SETH TWUM-AKWABOAH, Chief executive officer of Association of Ghana Industries
"If Ghanaian companies want to take advantage of the African market, they have no choice but to improve packaging so that when the goods enter South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, and everywhere, their products will be patronized by consumers. Therefore, packaging is key for the AfCFTA arrangement."

He said since last year when the first Propak exhibition was held, Ghanaian packaging companies have partnered with some international packaging companies to bring world-class packaging technologies to the doorsteps of Ghanaian manufacturers.

The industry head said this development has brought about significant improvements in the packaging of Ghanaian products.

SOUNDBITE 4 (English): SETH TWUM-AKWABOAH, Chief executive officer of Association of Ghana Industries
"We still have a long way to go because it is a dynamic environment. The packaging industry is a very dynamic industry. New technologies are coming up, and new ideas are coming up, and therefore, for you to keep abreast of new and improved technologies, you must always participate in exhibitions of this nature."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Accra.
(XHTV)