An Assessment Of The Bilateral Trade Relations Between Ghana And China And Its Effects On The Ghanaian Economy (2008-2018)

Sino-Africa relations has over the past two decades,grown from strength to strength.Many view this relationship as one of the visible transformations between the world’s fastest growing country and the world’s biggest but poorest developing Continent.Undisputedly,China provides an absolute package including the provision of massive workforce,fiscal reserves,in addition to technical expertise.That notwithstanding,China’s increase in imports from different African economies has attracted skepticism about the attendant repercussion as far as local industries advancement within the 21^st century is concerned.The main factor defining the exponential growing relationship include,among other items,bilateral trade,investment and aid,which is explained by the fact that China and Africa have something to offer in these regions.China-Ghana diplomatic relations began in 1960 during the Nkrumah regime and the very era when the Friendship and Cooperation Peace Treaty was signed between the two economies.Nonetheless,the sustainability of the economic growth and its associated performance has been a subject of discourse for policy makers mind and therefore cannot be relegated to the background under any circumstances.Previous works that accentuates on“Bilateral Trade Relations”,with a focus on the Economic Trade Bureau（ECTIB）of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of Ghana and the Association of Ghana Industries（AGI）,appears to be non-existent,untapped and under-investigated.To buttress this point,per a critical assessment of the literature in question,indicates that different types of scholarly works have been executed by governance and economic-oriented researchers that relate to bilateral trade relations but totally not the subject selected by the researcher（a study gap that needs to be addressed）.The objective of this study is to examine how the relationship between Sino-Ghana presents opportunities and constraints for Ghana’s quest for a paradigm of sustainable development.To accomplish this,the study used a qualitative method of analysis in combination with the New Trade theory to create understanding and common meaning on the topic.The research evaluated the impacts on the Ghanaian economy of bilateral trade ties between Ghana and China.With reference to the specific objectives,the study examined the effects of bilateral trade relations of China-Ghana on the Ghanaian economy,the motivating factors behind China’s shift to bilateral trade with Ghana and critical factors influencing bilateral trade relations of the two countries.In line with the literature reviews of Ibrahim,Sarpong,and Danquah,they were deemed to have some threshold of synonymy with the researcher’s topic and hence,of immense relevance to the study.Some of the constraints identified were trade deficits,the displacement of some local businesses from the markets,particularly,the textile and furniture firms and the use of more Chinese workers at the expense of Ghanaians.However,the Chinese engagement,has brought jobs,cheap suppliers for local consumers,investment in more infrastructural projects and funding to educate Ghanaian students and professionals in China.