Trump Tariffs: Ablakwa Invites US Ambassador Over 10% Tax On Imports From Ghana
- Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has invited the US Ambassador to Ghana to meet over the new tariffs on exports to the US
- Ablakwa said he wants the reasons for US President Donald Trump's imposition of a tariff increase on Ghana
- On April 2, Trump slapped a 10% tax on imports from Ghana as part of a global shakeup
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Minister for Foreign Affairs Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has invited the US Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer, to meet over the US' 10% tariff on Ghanaian imports.
The meeting between the two is expected to take place on April 7.
Source: Facebook
In a statement, Ablakwa indicated that he would be expecting clarifications and reasons for US President Donald Trump's imposition of a 10% tariff on Ghana.
“I can confirm that I have invited US Ambassador to Ghana, Her Excellency Virginia Palmer to my office on Monday morning to provide clarifications and reasons for President Trump’s imposition of a 10% tariff on Ghana.”
Ablakwa's notice comes after some stakeholders like the Importers and Exporters Association called on the government to publicly address the US' action.
Samson Asaki Awingobit, the executive secretary of the Importers and Exporters Association called the development a big blow in earlier comments to YEN.com.gh.
Assurance from US ambassador on tariffs
Palmer has already downplayed concerns over the potential impact of the tariff on Ghanaian exports to the US and assured that Ghana-US trade would remain strong.
In comments on April 3, she also expressed confidence that Ghana’s key exports, such as gold and gas, would remain integral to global trade.
"There are also goods and services; gold coming from here, gas coming from here, and we have automobiles and pharmaceuticals coming from the United States.
“So, it is something that builds prosperity in all the countries. It is all to say that no matter what the changes in language and no matter the change in focus, Ghana is really an important part of the United States and we will continue to be so."
How much does Ghana trade with the US?
According to the US trade office, its total goods trade with Ghana was $2.1 billion in 2024.
Source: Getty Images
US goods exports to Ghana in 2024 were $967.3 million, up 12.3% from 2023 while US goods imports from Ghana in 2024 were $1.2 billion, down 28.0% from 2023.
The US goods trade deficit with Ghana was $204.4 million in 2024, a 73.3% increase over 2023.
Exporters Association fears job losses
Awingobit earlier told YEN.com.gh that this could even lead to job losses among exporters.
“This could lead to a reduction of exports to the country. It can also affect our employees who are working with them because if he cannot supply, he cannot maintain his employees and it is going to lead to job losses.”
Because of this, Awingobit strongly believes the government should take some action on the tariff hike.
He said he wanted to know the government’s thoughts on the tariff.
"The Government of Ghana should come out to speak because this has to do with international relations so the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will have to make a statement on behalf of the government or the spokesperson to the president will have to make a statement."
Awingobit added that he expected to address the concerns.
Lady in US cries out over rising food price
Amid the expected tariffs on imports in the US, a Ghanaian lady currently living in the US was not happy about rising food prices and has decided to speak out.
Her concerns came up after she visited Costo, a large retail warehouse in the US to buy groceries only to find out that prices of food items had shot up.
Which countries did Trump's tariffs hit hardest?
YEN.com.gh reported that China is now dealing with a new 34% tariff on goods, on top of an existing 20% levy. This raised total duties to at least 54%.
Japan and India have been slapped with tariff rates of 24% and 26% respectively. Goods from Vietnam and Cambodia will be hit with 46% and 49% respectively.
Higher tariffs will also fall on smaller nations, with products from Lesotho being slapped with a 50% levy.
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Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
Delali Adogla-Bessa (Head of Current Affairs and Politics Desk) Delali Adogla-Bessa is a Current Affairs Editor with YEN.com.gh. Delali previously worked as a freelance journalist in Ghana and has over seven years of experience in media, primarily with Citi FM, Equal Times, Ubuntu Times. Delali also volunteers with the Ghana Institute of Language Literacy and Bible Translation, where he documents efforts to preserve local languages. He graduated from the University of Ghana in 2014 with a BA in Information Studies. Email: delali.adogla-bessa@yen.com.gh.
Samuel Gitonga (Copy editor) Samuel Gitonga is a Copy Editor at YEN.com.gh. He holds a Bachelor of Broadcast Journalism Degree from the Multimedia University of Kenya. He has over 7 years’ experience in the digital journalism industry. He started out his career at the Kenya News Agency and proceeded to work for several reputable media outlets in Nairobi.
