Former Chair of Parliament’s Finance Committee, Patrick Yaw Boamah, is urging Ghana to confront its dependence on the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), describing the trade programme as helpful but unsustainable in the long term.

He believes AGOA has provided valuable support for industries like garments and textiles, yet it cannot remain a fallback for the country’s economic growth.

Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express Business Edition, the Okaikwei Central legislator explained that many businesses were established to specifically take advantage of AGOA’s benefits.

He highlighted companies operating within the free zones enclave and Madam Salma’s business at UTC as examples, warning that a failure to lobby for AGOA’s extension could result in widespread job cuts and reduced state revenue.

“There are companies that purposely set up to benefit from AGOA. Madam Salma’s company at the UTC, some at the free zones enclave—if we don’t push for an extension, it will lead to a lot of job losses and revenue shortfalls for government,” he cautioned.

However, his deeper concern is Ghana’s long-term reliance on external trade preferences.

He argued that it is time for the country to develop its own internal strength and reduce dependence on foreign initiatives.

“We cannot sit and be spoon-fed for a long time. We need to wean ourselves from some of these policies,” he insisted.

Boamah challenged policymakers to consider what progress has truly been made since AGOA’s introduction. In his view, the country must assess whether it has expanded its export base or improved its foreign exchange earnings. “AGOA has been in place for close to 20 years. You need to ask yourself, what have you been able to do in the area of AGOA to expand your export potential, to rake in the Forex that is supposed to support the growth of your economy?” he asked.

While acknowledging that extending AGOA would be beneficial, he warned against treating it as a permanent fixture. “An extension of AGOA is good, but it shouldn’t be in perpetuity. We have to build the kind of local industry that we require,” he said.

The MP also lent his support to industrial policies that seek to grow domestic manufacturing. He noted that despite its flaws, the One District, One Factory initiative was a step in the right direction. “That is why I was a firm believer in the One District, One Factory program, regardless of the challenges and the abuse of some of the entities,” he noted.

Boamah emphasized the potential of Ghana’s pharmaceutical sector and called for greater support for local drug manufacturers such as Tobinco, Ernest Chemist, and Kinapharma. He believes that strengthening these firms can reduce dependency on imported medicines. “They must be encouraged to produce within the local market to avoid the importation of drugs. We must look at strategic areas in textile export, pharmaceuticals, import substitution, agro-based industries,” he added.

Despite government rhetoric about supporting agribusiness, Boamah was critical of the limited budget allocations for the Ministries of Trade and Agriculture. He said these sectors need far more investment to be competitive. “I’m happy government is talking about agribusiness, but if you look at the budget lines for the Ministry of Trade and Ministry of Agriculture, very insufficient,” he remarked. “If you want to hit the big market with some of the targeted crops, you have to put in a lot of money to support their growth.”

Boamah’s overall message was a clear call to action: AGOA may have opened doors for Ghana, but the country must now build its own house.