The MiNG is a common virtual marketing platform for all products and services produced in the five regions of the north including shea products, agro-products and woori (smock materials) among others to promote sustainable and inclusive business practices between producers and buyers and the business industry in the north.

The initiative had funding support from the GIZ’s Market Oriented Agriculture Programme in North-West Ghana (MOAP-NW) to drive positive change and innovation in the business landscape in Ghana, particularly northern Ghana.

Speaking at the launch in Wa, Mr Jeremiah B. Tengan, the Upper West Regional Manager of the GNCCI, said the initiative was borne out of research the GNCCI conducted, which revealed that though there were good products and services in northern Ghana, access to market for those products was a challenge.

He said the research also revealed that intermediaries denied the producers value for their products, but that the MiNG market platform would give the producers direct access to potential customers and substantial value for their products.

Mr Tengan indicated that the GNCCI had carried out a sensitisation tour across the five regions of the north to educate the business operators on the MiNG and its potential benefit to them.

“Indeed, the importance of this market is that you can be in your comfort zone in northern Ghana and somebody in America or Europe can view your product, you can chat and negotiate, and they can buy your things from there.

“It means you can be in the north and access the global market. It is an opportunity to have a good market price for our products” the GNCCI Regional Manager explained.

He therefore encouraged commercial farmers and industry players to take advantage of the platform to market their products without dealing with intermediaries.

Mr Reuben Binpori, Inclusive Business Development Expert at MOAP-NW, observed that northern Ghana was blessed with large agricultural lands for crops and animal production.

He, however, said while some commercial farmers and producers had established markets for their commodities, some were still grappling with challenges in accessing markets.

He said the digital marketplace was opened to all businesses in northern Ghana to display products and services produced in the area for easy market access.

“Markets have gone beyond physical, and it is now virtual so, leveraging the digital tools that are available and the current wave of digitalisation, we think that our SMEs will be able to sell their products to buyers all over the world”, Mr Binpori explained.

Mr Salford Iddrisu, the Upper West Regional Chairman of the GNCCI, thanked the GIZ for supporting the GNCCI to establish the online marketing platform.

He said the platform was free and all businesses in the north should take advantage of it to access direct market services across the country and beyond.

Small and Medium scale Enterprises (SMEs) from the five regions of the north and other stakeholders attended the MiNG platform launch.