If you're a Ghanaian business owner sitting on a product you believe could sell abroad; shea butter, processed foods, textiles, handicrafts, cosmetics; the paperwork can look more intimidating than the actual export itself. Here's the process broken down into what you actually need to do, in order.
What counts as a "Non-Traditional Export" in Ghana?
Ghana splits exportable goods into two categories:
- Traditional Exports; cocoa beans, timber logs and lumber, unprocessed gold, other unprocessed minerals, electricity, and similar raw commodities
- Non-Traditional Exports (NTEs); everything else, currently spanning more than 380 categorised products across Agricultural, Processed/Semi-Processed, and Handicraft goods, plus a growing Export Trade in Services category
If your business exports shea butter, cocoa-derived products, spices, textiles, processed foods, or crafts, you're a non-traditional exporter; and GEPA's entire mandate is built around helping businesses like yours grow in this category.
Who is GEPA and why do you need to register with them?
The Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) is the national trade support institution under the Ministry of Trade and Industry, established to develop, facilitate, and promote Ghana's non-traditional exports. Registering with GEPA is one of the first formal steps toward exporting, and it isn't just a box-ticking exercise; GEPA registration is also what qualifies your business for export support schemes, market-access programmes, and trade missions that connect Ghanaian producers with international buyers.
What are the steps to become a registered exporter in Ghana?
- Register your business with the Registrar-General's Department (now largely handled through the Office of the Registrar of Companies' e-Registrar portal) to get your Certificate of Incorporation.
- Get a Tax Identification Number (TIN); for Ghanaian citizens and resident business owners, your Ghana Card PIN now doubles as your TIN.
- Register with GEPA as a non-traditional exporter; this registration is renewable annually and is the basis for monitoring your export performance and accessing export support facilities.
- Obtain a Bank of Ghana Exchange Control Form A2 from the Bank of Ghana or an accredited commercial bank, used to process the foreign exchange side of your export transaction.
- Complete a customs export entry through GRA; this includes the Single Administrative Document (SAD), a packing list, and dispatch documentation.
- Obtain a Certificate of Origin from the Ghana Chamber of Commerce or the Customs Division of GRA, confirming your goods genuinely originate from Ghana; essential for your buyer to claim any preferential tariff treatment at the destination.
- Secure any product-specific permit your goods require before they reach the port (see below).
What permits does your specific product need?
This is where many first-time exporters get caught out; the general registration steps above apply to everyone, but many products need an additional sign-off from a specific regulator:
- Processed foods and agricultural produce (yam, pineapple, plantain, cocoa-derived products, and similar); Phytosanitary Certificate from the Plant Quarantine/Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate
- Cosmetics and personal care products, including shea butter derivatives; registration and certification through the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and/or Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), depending on the product
- Cocoa, coffee, shea nuts, cashew nuts; Quality Assurance/fumigation certificate from COCOBOD's Quality Control Division
- Chemicals; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certificate
- Sawn lumber; permit from the Forestry Commission (TIDD)
- Pharmaceuticals; permit from the Ministry of Health
Confirming which permit your product needs; and applying for it early; is the single biggest thing you can do to avoid a shipment getting held up at the port after everything else is ready.
Do you need a Certificate of Origin, and why does it matter?
A Certificate of Origin is a document confirming that your goods genuinely originate from Ghana, issued jointly by the Customs Division of GRA and the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It matters for two reasons: it's often required by the destination country's customs authority to release your goods, and; increasingly important as African trade opens up; it's the document your buyer needs to claim preferential tariff treatment under trade agreements like the AfCFTA.