President John Dramani Mahama has criticised the 10% tariffs imposed on all imports by United States President Donald Trump, warning that the move could severely disrupt global trade and harm developing economies like Ghana.
Speaking during a bilateral trade meeting with the President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, on Tuesday, Mahama expressed concern over the potential impact of the tariffs.
“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.
He added that unilateral decisions of this nature undermine global cooperation and development.
“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,” Mahama said.
President Pavel echoed Mahama’s concerns and urged for diplomatic engagement with the United States to reconsider the policy.
“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,” Pavel stated.
He added, “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.”
The directive, announced on April 2, 2025, was enacted through an Executive Order under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA).
U.S. officials have defended the measure, saying it is aimed at addressing economic and national security threats posed by persistent trade deficits.
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