Bilateral Trade Between Ghana and China Hits Historic $11.8bn Mark
Trade between Ghana and China climbed to a record $11.8bn in 2024, cementing Beijing’s role as Ghana’s largest trading partner and underscoring its growing investment footprint in West Africa.
The figure was disclosed at a ceremony in Accra marking the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and 65 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Chinese ambassador Tong Defa said the increase reflected the broadening scope of the relationship, which was elevated to a strategic partnership this year. Beijing’s investments span infrastructure, mining, green energy and petroleum refining, with thousands of jobs created locally, he noted.
“China remains Ghana’s largest trading partner and a major source of foreign investment,” Tong said, citing Beijing’s decision to grant zero-tariff treatment on all tariff lines to African countries, including Ghana, as evidence of its commitment to the continent.
Vice-president Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, who represented President John Mahama at the event, welcomed the surge in trade but stressed that cooperation must translate into tangible benefits for Ghanaians.
“Ghana is determined to ensure that our trade and our relations translate into sustainable local development, with emphasis on creating opportunities for our brilliant and determined youth,” she said.
She pointed to the government’s 24-hour economy policy, which focuses on job creation, export expansion and modernisation, as a framework for future collaboration. Accra is also seeking stronger partnerships with China in renewable energy, digital technology and trade facilitation under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The record trade volume highlights both Ghana’s reliance on Chinese investment and the opportunities and vulnerabilities that come with deeper economic integration with the world’s second-largest economy.
