SINCE YESTERDAY, 7TH OF AUGUST 2025, THE U.S.A. HAVE IMPOSED A 15% TARIFF ON ALL GOODS IMPORTED FROM GHANA. WITH THAQT, GHANA IS PART OF A GROUP OF 15 AFRICAN NATIONS ON WHICH A TARIFF OF 15%z IS IMPLEMENTED,
GHANA HAS A TRADE SURPLUS WITH THE U.S.A., AND THAT MIGHT BE THE REASON WHY THE TARIFF WAS PUT ON GHANA. THE TRADE SURPLUS AMOUNTS TO 19 MILLION US-DOLLARS IN FAVOUR OF GHANA. IN MAY 2025, GHANA EXPORTED GOODS WORTH 108 MILLION US-DOLLARS TO THE U.S.A, WGILE THE COUNTRY IMPORTED GOODS WORTH 88.6 MILLION US-DOLLARS FROM THE U.S.A.
GHANA MAINLY EXPORTS COCOA BEANS, COCOA PASTE AND COCOA POWDER TO THE U.S.A. IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT THE EXPORT OF COCOA BEANS IS 8 TIMES AS HIGH AS THE EXPORT OF COCOA PASTE AND COCOA POWDER TOGETHER, BUT THIS IS THE SUBJEDT FOR A DIFFERENT ARTICLE (MARCH 2025; SOURCE: BING CO-PILOT).
AS THE U.S.A. TARIFFS ON COTE D’IVOIRE – ANOTHER BIG COCOA PRODUCER ARE ALSO 15%, THE TARIFFS WOULDN’T MAKE MUCH DIFFERENCE IN THE PRICE FOR COCOA AND COCOA PRODUCTS FROM BOTH COUNTRIES. AND AS THE U.S.A WILL HARDLY BE ABLE TO GROW COCOA IN THEIR COUNTRY, THE OTHER ARGUMENT OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION THAT PRDUCTION OF GOODS SHOULD BE BROUGHT BACK TO THE COUNTRY DOES ALSO NOT APPLY TO COCOA.
THEREFORE, THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TARIFFS ON COUNTRIES – AND ESPECIALLY AFRICAN COUNTRIES – IS A GENERAL PROBLEM. TRUMP’S ADMINISTRATION TRIES TO “CONQUER” COUNTRIES THROUGH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TARIFFS. WHAT OTHER COUNTRIES TRY TO ACHIEVE BY MILI TARY FORCE, TRUMP’S ADMINISTRATION TRIES THE ECONOMY WAY. GOOD EXAMPLES FOR THAT ARE BRAZIL, WHERE TRUMP TRIES TO PUNISH THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION FOR TAKING THE FORMER PRESIDENT TO COURT, AND INDIA FOR BUYING OIL FROM RUSSIA. FURTHERMORE, BOTH COUNTRIES ARE PUNISHED FOR BEING MEMBERS OF THE BRICS ORGANISATION.
AS TRUMP’S POLICIES ARE UNPREDICTABLE. THE ONLY THING WE CAN SAY IS THAT HE ALWAYS CHANGES HIS POLICIES WHEN HE THINKS THAT IT SERVES HIS OWN INTERESTS BETTER. THEREFORE, THE U.S.A. APPEAR UNRELIABLE AS A TRADING PARTNER, ESPECIALLY FOR AFRICAN COUNTRIES.
ON THE OTHER HAND, CHINA APPEARS TO BE AN ALTERNATIVE AS A TRADING PARTNER. GHANA HAS ALREADY JOINED THE BELT-AND-ROAD INIATIVE IN 2018, AND UNTIL NOW, THE COOPERATION OF GHANA WITH CHINA IS ONLY OF ADVANTAGE FOR GHANATHE COPERATIN WITH CHINA IS FOR OTHER AFRICAN COUNTRIES.
ALSO, A MEMBERSHIP OR AT LEAST AN OBSERVER STATUS IN THE BRICS ORGANISATION SHOULD NOT BE LEFT OUT OF SIGHT. THIS ORGANISATION OFFERS FINANCIAL AND TRADE ADVANTAGES WHICH ARE ESPECIALLY NECESSARY FOR AFRICAN COUNTRIES. ALREADY SOME AFRICAN COUNTRIES LIKE ETHIOPIA HAVE JOINED THE BRICS ORGANISATIN. EVEN THE AFRICA UNION AS AN ORGANISATION SHOULD TAKE A COOPERATION WITH THE BRICS COUNTRIES INTO CONSIDERATION.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST, AFRICA INCLUDED GHANA SHOULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THEIR OWN “INVENTION”, THE AFRICA CONTINENTAL FREE TRADE AREA. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE INTER-AFRICAN TRAFE WOULD GIVE THE 54 COUNTRIES A GOOD CHANCE TO BECOME AT LEAST MORE INDEPENDENT FROM EXTERNAL UNPREDICTABILITIES WHICH THE U.S.A. HAVE TO OFFER.
