Economic integration and survival of Ghana’s manufactured and agriculture raw material exports

Abstract

The paper investigates the effects of economic integration agreements on the survival of Ghana's manufactured and agriculture raw material exports. Using annual trade data for Ghanaian manufactured and agriculture raw material product exports from 1988 to 2018 and a discrete-time proportional hazard model, we found that economic integration agreements enhance the survival of manufactured products and agriculture raw material exports. The Non-Reciprocal Preferential Trade Agreement is the most survival-enhancing. In addition, economic integration agreements strengthen the survival of existing active export relations but decrease the survival of export relations initiated after the agreement was signed. We also found that the average duration of manufactured products and agriculture raw material exports is 9.041 and 8.817 years, respectively. The study recommends that the Ministry of Trade and Industry should continue negotiating for Non-Reciprocal Trade Agreements.

Keywords

• Export survival
• Economic integration agreements
• Manufactured products
• Agriculture raw materials
• Ghana