Ghana warns businesses over new EU carbon rules

Government is urging Ghanaian businesses, particularly manufacturers and exporters, to prepare for new European Union carbon regulations that could affect their competitiveness and access to international markets.

Minister of State for Climate Change and Sustainability, Seidu Issifu, says businesses must strengthen emissions reporting and adopt cleaner production methods as global markets tighten environmental requirements.

He was speaking at the Ghana National Climate and ESG Policy Summit in Accra, where he highlighted the implications of the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) for Ghana’s industrial development and trade relations.

The mechanism entered its definitive regime on January 1, 2026, introducing carbon-related requirements for selected goods imported into the European Union.

“For Ghana, this development deserves urgent and coordinated attention. Its implications extend beyond environmental policy into industrial development, export competitiveness, trade relations, investment planning and access to international markets,” Mr Issifu said.

He urged manufacturers and exporters to assess their production processes, energy sources and carbon footprints to prepare for the changing requirements.

“We should not view CBAM solely as a compliance challenge. It is also a signal of the direction in which international markets are moving,” he said.

Mr Issifu called for collaboration among government, industry associations and financial institutions to improve awareness and strengthen businesses’ capacity to respond to the regulations.

He said preparing for the changing carbon requirements would be important for protecting Ghana’s export competitiveness as environmental standards increasingly shape international trade.