As the United Kingdom prepares to finally exit the European Union, its Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has said that the bilateral trade relations with Ghana will not be affected.

He was speaking to journalists at the residence of the British High Commissioner to Ghana after he paid a courtesy call on President Nana Akufo-Addo.

He said the UK will rather strengthen its trade relations with Ghana to help establish a free trade deal for mutual benefit.

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“As for our relations with Ghana, this is an opportunity to go a step further, what it will mean concretely is the chance to do a free trade deal. Let’s be clear, there are plenty of ways that our economies could merge together more closely. We have talked about investment. I think one of the things Ghana could benefit from perhaps is more financial services helping here to get investments going in this country.”

He said he had observed that some products in Ghana are needed in Europe, hence such products should not attract tariffs.

“I have seen here in Ghana a bicycle made of bamboo. Why shouldn’t that come to the streets of London with zero tariffs?. Why should there be barriers to Ghanaian bamboo bicycles. So there are opportunities for us to develop our economies together.”

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Johnson stressed that the UK will continue to partner Ghana to counter terrorism.

He reiterated that their exit from the European Union will not affect UK’s commitment to trade and counter terrorism.

“We may be leaving the EU but we are not leaving Europe so we continue to be very much involved in trade with our friends and partners in the EU and we will, of course, continue to be working together with governments. A lot of the things that matter both to the UK and to Ghana whether its counter-terrorism or our collective security, we will continue to be a powerful voice for Ghana in Europe,” he maintained.

In a related development, the Minister for Trade and Industry Alan Kyerematen said he was optimistic the bilateral trade between the two countries will bring in more investors to help fulfil the one-district-one-factory promise of the NPP government.