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.
“The advantage is that AfCFTA gives us a bigger market to harness. But then, there is the challenge that your market is going to be taken away if you are not competitive,” Twum-Akwaboah said.
He said Ghanaian products are of high quality and can withstand competition from elsewhere, but these products need advanced packaging to withstand global competition. “You must position yourself very well in the marketplace because when consumers are going to buy, they look at the product they are holding, what the packaging is, and what the content is like. At that particular moment, the consumer’s decision depends on the packaging.”
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. “If your companies want to take advantage of the African market, they have no choice but to have improved packaging. When you enter South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria, your products will be patronized by the consumers. Therefore, packaging is key to product competitiveness under the AfCFTA.”
He said since last year when the first Propak exhibition was held, Ghanaian packaging companies have partnered with some of the 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.
“But we still have a long way to go because the packaging industry is dynamic, with new technologies and ideas coming up quickly. So you have to keep abreast of new and improved technologies,” Twum-Akwaboah added.
XINHUA