By Wilberforce Asare
Copyright asaaseradio
The Netherlands currently runs a trade surplus with Ghana, meaning it exports more goods to Ghana than it imports from Ghana, though Ghana has seen a recent surge in exports to the Netherlands.
As at May 2025, Ghana’s exports to the Netherlands were dominated by coffee, tea, and cocoa, while its primary imports from the Netherlands included refined petroleum, various edible products, and machinery.
Available Statistics
According to data from the OEC-World, in May 2025, “the Netherlands exported €36 million and imported €91 million from Ghana, resulting in a negative trade balance of € 55 million.
Between May 2024 and May 2025, the Netherlands’ exports to Ghana decreased by €22 million (37.9%) from €58 million to €36 million, while imports increased by €58 million (176%) from €33 million to € 91 million.
“In May 2025, the top exports of the Netherlands to Ghana were undefined (€9M), miscellaneous edible products and preparations (€7M), and meat and meat preparations (€5M).
“In May 2025, the main imports of the Netherlands from Ghana were coffee, tea, cocoa, spices, and manufactures thereof (€87M), vegetables and fruit (€2M), and fixed vegetable fats and oils, crude, refined or fractionated (€1M).”
On growth, the data shows that “in May 2025, the year-on-year decline in the Netherlands’ exports to Ghana was driven mainly by exports of sugars, sugar preparations and honey (€0 or 0%), meat and meat preparations (€0 or 0%), and general industrial machinery and equipment, N.E.C., and machine parts, N.E.C. (€-1M or -50%).
“Meanwhile, in the same month, the rise in the Netherlands’ imports from Ghana was mainly attributed to imports of coffee, tea, cocoa, spices, and manufactures thereof (€67M or 335%), undefined (€1M or 100%), and vegetables and fruit (€-1M or -33.3%).”
The Business Expo
From the brief statistics above, it is clear that while a strong and mutually beneficial trade relationship exists between Ghana and the Netherlands, Ghana urgently needs to seek innovative ways to improve its trade balance with the Netherlands through economic collaboration between Ghana and the Netherlands.
It serves as an established medium that can help unearth opportunities for Ghana to meet the urgent trade imbalance challenge.
The mission of the Netherlands-Ghana Business & Tourism Expo is to facilitate meaningful connections and explore opportunities for trade, investments, and digitalization which can contribute towards the long-term economic growth and prosperity for both nations.
The 2025 edition of the Netherlands-Ghana Business and Tourism, which was held in The Hague from 18th to 19th September 2025, under the theme “Partnership for Growth: Trade, Innovation and Sustainability,” came in handy to help bridge the existing trade imbalance gap.
Reaffirmation of relations
Day one of the Business and Tourism Expo demonstrated that there are clear and present opportunities in Ghana and the Netherlands that can serve as a springboard to accelerate trade between the two countries by overcoming specific challenges that bedevil both parties.
Speaking at the opening ceremony held at The Hague University of Applied Sciences on Thursday, 18th September 2025, Ghana’s Ambassador to the Netherlands, Mr Francis Danti Kotia, observed that Ghana’s relations with the Netherlands date back over 300 years and the relationship continues to be defined by shared values and cooperation in all areas of the bilateral relationship.
“This Fair is a reaffirmation of our enduring bilateral partnership and an opportunity to explore deeper collaboration in all sectors of common interest.
At the centre of this engagement lies a sector that remains fundamental to Ghana’s economy and national development vision: agriculture and agribusiness,” Ambassador Kotia said.
To give practical meaning to this vision, Ambassador Kotia noted, “President John Dramani Mahama established the Presidential Initiatives in Agriculture and Agribusiness (PIAA) to advance his strategic vision of transforming and modernizing the agriculture sector.”
“These are: the Feed Ghana Programme, the Feed the Industry Programme, and Agriculture Investment and Infrastructure Development. These are further indications of the government’s renewed emphasis on agriculture as a vehicle for economic transformation.
“Through this renewed focus, Ghana is seeking not only to increase productivity but to build stronger value chains, attract investment into agro-processing, and introduce more sustainable and innovative farming practices,” Mr. Kotia remarked.
“This Fair offers a timely platform to build on existing ties and explore new frontiers for cooperation. As Ghana expands its role within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the case for investment in Ghana, particularly in agriculture and agro-processing, grows stronger.
“We are committed to creating a conducive policy environment and facilitating strategic partnerships that unlock value across the entire chain, from farms to markets. At the same time, we remain guided by the principle that growth must be inclusive and sustainable,” he further remarked.
Government commitment
In his keynote address, as the special guest of honour, Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, Mr. John Dumelo noted that the government of Ghana is ready to welcome Dutch investors who are willing and prepared to invest in Ghana’s agricultural sector.
He added that the John Mahama-led administration is committed to ensuring that, over the next four years, which is the constitutional lifespan of the administration, it will transform the food and agriculture sector to make the country food-sufficient, as well as increase its food exports, particularly to the Netherlands.
Mr Dumelo encouraged all the participants to engage with a single-minded purpose. He also urged the participants to forge partnerships that extend beyond transactions, partnerships characterized by mutual benefit, long-term vision, and the kind of innovation that uplifts people and protects the environment.
Visa denials
Ambassador Francis Danti Kotia, in an interview after the opening ceremony, observed that visa denials and other associated challenges faced by Ghanaian businessmen and women when applying for visas at the Netherlands Embassy in Accra to come to the Netherlands are primarily responsible for the slow trade rate between Ghana and the Netherlands.
According to Ambassador Kotia, it takes approximately 45 days for the Netherlands Embassy in Accra to process a visa application of a Ghanaian who holds an ordinary passport and five days for a diplomatic passport holder.
On the contrary, he noted that it takes approximately three days for the Ghanaian Embassy in the Netherlands to process visa applications from all Dutch citizens who express interest in visiting Ghana for business or tourism purposes.
“Ghana–Netherlands relations are generally essential and significant to both countries. Over the years, both sides have worked hard to strengthen these relations in all aspects of the relationship, including political, cultural, economic, trade, and investment.
“There is no relationship without challenges. One of the significant challenges from Ghana’s perspective in trade and investment promotion activities is the acquisition of visas for our entrepreneurs who wish to travel to the Netherlands to explore business opportunities and the Dutch market.
“We have many instances where people follow through with all the requirements, they submit early enough, and yet, at the end of the day, they are denied visas,” Ambassador Kotia said.
Fertile grounds
Dr James Ato Condua Orleans-Lindsay, a Ghanaian business mogul and Chairman of JL Holdings, who is also the Chancellor of Cape Coast Technical University, observed that Ghana is a “fertile ground” for investments, particularly in the agriculture and agribusiness sectors.
The business magnate made the assertion during a presentation to attendees of day one of the Netherlands-Ghana Business and Tourism Expo on the topic, Ghana-Netherlands Investment Opportunities, Sector by Sector Analysis of Investment Potential and Risk Mitigation Strategies.
“In my home country, Ghana, it’s sad that we have 12 months a year, 12 hours a day sunlight, and solar business is 5% of our business. Can someone decide to come to Ghana to install solar panels? Can somebody decide to come to Ghana to supply solar panels?
“Can somebody decide to come to Ghana to, as it were, set up a school to teach how to assemble solar panels and assemble them well?” Dr Orleans-Lindsay suggested during his presentation.
“The Chinese are having a field day in my country, so come and join us. In Ghana, if you want to enter into a partnership, you need to have your eyes on the ball, but you need to have a ball first.
“For me, I can recommend my home country to you as your ball. Come to Ghana, come to Ghana, and you will never regret,” Dr Orleans-Lindsay told the investment community in the Netherlands.
Multiple opportunities
On day two of the Netherlands-Ghana Business & Tourism Expo, a panel moderated by Kojo Frimpong, Ghanaian ace media personality and politician, and composed of Dr James Ato Condua Orleans-Lindsay, Peter Boon of Gushikama Business Consult, Ms Eunice Kisiwaa Gyan, a youth development consultant, Mr Kwame Awiane, Vice President of the Ghana Union in the Netherlands, and Mr Louis Manu, discussed youth-driven agriculture and resilient food systems.
The panel essentially established that multiple opportunities exist in Ghana’s agricultural sector that can be exploited by the investor community in the Netherlands. They further urged participants to come to Ghana and venture into the space.
Villa Eikenhorst
The intriguing evening session saw top businessmen and women with investments in Ghana and other African countries hosted at Villa Eikenhorst, located on the De Horsten estate in Wassenaar, approximately 10km from The Hague, by Peter Arensman, a Dutch businessman who currently rents and resides in the Villa.
The Villa Eikenhorst previously served as the official residence of King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima, and their three daughters, from 2003 to 2019, before the family relocated to Huis ten Bosch in The Hague.
The dinner, attended by the Ghanaian delegation led by John Dumelo, the Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, featured a candid discussion between the two trading partners. The three major takeaways from the talks were;
Firstly, Ghana needs to ensure that it maintains a stable currency exchange rate with the major trading currencies, such as the US Dollar, the Euro, and the Pound. The Dutch investors indicated that the recent “ups and downs” in the rates have negatively impacted the investments in Ghana.
Secondly, the cost of production in Ghana and the rest of Africa contrasts with that of Latin America. The investors pointed out that their production costs in their African investments are increasingly becoming more expensive compared to their interests in Latin America. They indicated that the Ghanaian government must give this attention.
Lastly, the gathering acknowledged the visa denials by the Dutch embassies in Africa. The investors agreed that there is a need to take up the challenge and present it at the highest level to ensure that the current far-right government in office in the Netherlands reviews and improves the visa regime to bring parity between visa issuance by Ghana and the Netherlands.
The Business and Tourism Expo climaxed on day three with Ghanafest (Sawasa Cultural Festival and BBQ) at Zuiderpark in Den Haag.
Overall, the mission of the organizers of the Netherlands-Ghana Business and Tourism Expo, AfroEuro Foundation, was loudly and clearly achieved at the three-day event.
Following through with the suggestions, projections, deals, and connections remains the challenge over the next year until the 2026 Business and Tourism Expo. The passion and energy exhibited is indicative that the execution of agreements reached will likely occur.
Wilberforce Asare
The writer in an Editor at Asaase Radio
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