Commonwealth Trade MSME Exporter Portal

馃嚞馃嚟 Ghana 路 Category 7 of 9

Trade agreements and preferential market access

Verified 路 10 Jun 2026

Ghana's AfCFTA, ECOWAS, WTO membership and EU/UK EPAs plus AGOA give exporters duty preferences if they meet rules of origin.

Overview

Ghana sits inside a web of trade agreements that can cut or eliminate the tariffs your buyer pays, which makes your goods more competitive if you use them. Regionally, Ghana is part of the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme, allowing qualifying goods to move duty-free across West Africa, and it hosts the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in Accra, which is progressively opening the continental market. For Europe, the EU-Ghana interim Economic Partnership Agreement and the parallel UK-Ghana arrangement give duty-free, quota-free access to those markets for originating goods. Ghana is also an AGOA beneficiary for the US market and a GSP beneficiary in several developed markets. The catch is rules of origin: to claim any preference you must prove the goods genuinely originate in Ghana and provide the correct origin document (for example an ECOWAS certificate, an EUR.1 / origin declaration for the EU, or an AfCFTA certificate of origin). Check the exact tariff and origin rule for your product and destination on ITC Market Access Map before quoting your buyer.

Key requirements

  1. 1

    Determine the applicable agreement

    Match your destination market to the right agreement (ECOWAS, AfCFTA, EU/UK EPA, AGOA, GSP) to find the preferential tariff.

  2. 2

    Meet rules of origin

    The goods must qualify as originating in Ghana under that agreement's specific rule before any preference applies.

  3. 3

    Obtain the correct origin document

    Provide the matching proof of origin: ECOWAS certificate, EU EUR.1/origin declaration, or AfCFTA certificate of origin.

  4. 4

    Verify current tariff

    Confirm the exact duty rate and any quotas for your HS code and destination using ITC Market Access Map or the importer's customs.

  5. 5

    Keep origin evidence

    Retain supplier declarations, production records and cost breakdowns to support origin claims if audited.

Documents you will need

  • Certificate of origin (ECOWAS / AfCFTA / GSP Form A)
  • EUR.1 movement certificate or invoice origin declaration (EU/UK)
  • Commercial invoice and packing list
  • Bill of lading / airway bill
  • Supplier / manufacturer declarations of origin
  • Proof of Ghanaian production or sufficient transformation