Groundnuts export requirements for AfCFTA (Africa)

GRA Customs requires a phytosanitary certificate from PPRSD (MoFA) for food and agricultural produce leaving Ghana. Destination countries set their own plant health conditions on top.

Proof of origin is an AfCFTA Certificate of Origin issued by the exporting country's designated competent authority, or an origin declaration by an approved exporter or for consignments worth USD 5,000 or less; it is valid for 12 months. Ghana's Ministry of Trade designated the GRA Customs Division as the competent authority: complete the AfCFTA Exporter Registration Form (which gives an exporter reference code), pass a joint inspection by Customs, the Chamber of Commerce and the Ministry of Trade, and have exit-port Customs stamp and sign the certificate.

Under Annex 2 of the AfCFTA Agreement, plants and fruit grown or harvested in a State Party are wholly obtained there, and so are goods produced there exclusively from such products. Ghana-grown ginger and groundnuts qualify, as do groundnut oil or paste made only from Ghana-grown nuts; add imported ingredients and the product-specific substantial-transformation rules apply instead.

Within ECOWAS, agricultural products originating in the region trade duty-free under the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme using a certificate of origin. Each certificate covers one type of product and one destination country. Processed groundnut products (oil, paste) are industrial goods and follow the ETLS enterprise and product approval route.