President John Dramani Mahama has cried out to the President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel over the recent decision of Donald Trump to impose tariffs on imports from all countries, including Ghana.
President Donald Trump has unveiled a historic tariff policy, imposing a 34% tax on Chinese imports, 20% on goods from the European Union, and a 10% baseline tariff on imports from all countries, including Ghana.
The move, enacted under the 1977 International Emergency Powers Act, aims to address trade imbalances and revitalize U.S. manufacturing.
Critics warn that the tariffs could lead to economic instability, drawing comparisons to the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, which deepened the Great Depression.
Speaking during a bilateral meeting with the President of the Czech Republic, John Mahama stated, “Many of the factories that have set up there might look for areas where they can receive cheaper tariffs to be able to export into the American market. So it has very severe implications for everybody,” he cautioned.
“I believe that a multilateral world serves us all better than a unilateral one, where people just make decisions based on only their own country. We must look at global interest and partnership rather than our national interest,” he added.
Czech President Petr Pavel also agreed with John Mahama and highlighted the possibly destructive effects of the U.S. decision on global economies.
He stated, “I think imposing tariffs in such a way doesn’t help the situation in the U.S., Europe, and other countries. Tariffs are damaging everyone. In my view, it is unfortunate to impose such a wave of tariffs without negotiating. I think that we have to collectively address the United States to rethink this approach and to renegotiate.
“I think that through negotiation, we can achieve results that will be beneficial for the United States but also not destroy other countries. Because by damaging other countries so much, it will create many problems that will have to be dealt with later on—and that may be more costly than reducing the pressure on tariffs,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Sampson Ahi, the deputy minister for trade has revealed that President John Mahama has tasked the trade ministry to ensure that efforts have been made to ensure that Donald Trump tariffs slapped on Ghana are addressed.
Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has invited the U.S. Ambassador to Ghana, Her Excellency Virginia Palmer, for a discussion on Monday, April 7, 2025 over President Trump’s recent decision to impose a 10% tariff on Ghanaian exports.
Speaking on JOY NEWS, Sampson Ahi stated, “President John Mahama has tasked us to ensure that efforts have been made to ensure that this problem of Trump tariffs slapped on the country is addressed. I am sure that once we have his blessings if he has to intervene, he will certainly do”.
“If you want to impose taxes on commodities to remain competitive, you would do that based on the commodities that you have a competitive advantage over us”, he added.
Sampson Ahi further revealed that the US Ambassador to Ghana Virginia Palmer was also communicated surprised by Trump’s 10% tariff on Ghana’s exports.
He added, “The U.S. doesn’t produce cocoa, but they have slapped a 10% tariff on its exports, so we sought clarification and the Ambassador too was surprised”.
“She felt that if we pursued it, a commodity like cocoa could be exempted from the 10% tariff. She thinks we should engage at a higher level—that is, bringing in the President at a top governmental level.”
“We also know that as Africans, we have agreed to fight this collectively. And so on the 14th of this month, AfCFTA is organising a meeting with African trade ministers to look at this situation.”
“This is a matter that affects our economy, our farmers, and our export earnings. We are not treating this lightly”, the deputy trade minister noted.
