Investigating Ghana’s Revealed Comparative Advantage in Agro-Processed Products

Abena D. Oduro, Emmanuel Larbi Offei

Department of Economics, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana.

DOI: 10.4236/me.2014.54037                

Abstract

Export diversification through agro-processing has been a policy objective of successive governments. In the most recent policy document the processing of horticultural products including fruits has been emphasised. Using four indices of revealed comparative advantage, nine agroprocessed product groups have been identified in which Ghana has a comparative advantage. However, the share of agro-processed products in which Ghana has a comparative advantage declined over the period 2004 to 2011. We recommend that policies should be designed to encourage expansion of exports in the nine identified product groups as well as to reverse the decline in the share of agro-processed products in which Ghana has a comparative advantage.

Keywords

Revealed Comparative Advantage, Agro-Processing, Exports, Ghana

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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