Ghana’s Foreign Policy and South-South Cooperation (2012 – 2022).

Abstract

The burden of this study was to understand Ghana's South-South Cooperation (SSC), its significance, and challenges, and explore how different Ghana's economic diplomacy with the South (China and South Africa) is from that of the global North (the US). Employing the Dependency Theory and Development Compact Framework, this interpretive qualitative research adopted a multiple case study design looking at the US, China, and South Africa in the areas of trade, FDI, and economic aid. Data was collected from eight informants including importers and exporters, Ghana Union of Traders Association, and an academic expert in the field of International Politics and Comparative Politics. Secondary sources included data from GIPC, the website of the Observatory of Economic Complexity, and other official reports and newsletters from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, the Parliament of Ghana, etc. The study revealed that Ghana emphasises trade fairs, workshops, and conferences in its economic diplomacy, trading more with the South due to affordability, quality of goods, ease of transportation, and trade flexibility. The study also found that SSC generates jobs, supports key sectors, offers flexible economic aid, respects sovereignty, and provides affordable electrical goods. However, the study showed some challenges including forex exchange limitations, environmental concerns, unequal trade exchange, unsustainable debt, and insufficient intraregional trade and economic aid in Ghana’s SSC. It found that South-South countries prioritise environmental concerns less than Northern counterparts. The study concludes that, Ghana’s economic diplomacy approaches are similar, but differences emerge in trade value, commodities, FDI, and economic aid between the global North and South. Also, the quest to strengthen intra and interregional SSC faces challenges due to Western Superpowers' interests. The study recommends that Ghana continues to maintain flexible economic diplomacy, add value to Ghana's exports, prioritise environmentally-friendly economic aid, enforce environmental laws, and pursue a common regional currency to enhance intraregional relations.