On June 20th, the Foreign Trade Administration of the Israel Ministry of Economy and Industry announced the appointment of Mr. Yaniv Tessel as the new Head of Israel’s Trade and Economic Mission to Ghana. Mr. Tessel’s appointment was announced alongside 17 other new heads of Israel Trade Missions set to begin their roles this summer in various business hubs around the world.
Mr. Yaniv Tessel will replace his colleague, Ms. Ayelet Levin-Karp who established the Mission in Accra in 2018 and has headed it since.
Mr. Tessel currently heads the North and Latin America Department at Israel’s Foreign Trade Administration. Previously he directed the Department of Bilateral Trade Agreements and was head of Israel’s Trade and Economic Mission to Hanoi, Vietnam during the years 2016-2020. Mr. Tessel holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Accounting, as well as a Masters in Diplomacy and Security, both from Tel Aviv University.
Prior to joining the Ministry of Economy and Industry, Mr. Tessel worked as a financial and business analyst for Earnest and Young.
The rapid development and market growth in SSA in general, and in Ghana in particular, alongside Ghana’s strong performance and political stability and the potential of Israeli tech and innovation to provide effective solutions for Ghana’s needs and challenges, have motivated Israel’s efforts to increase bilateral trade, promote business cooperation, and facilitate mutually beneficial partnerships between Israel and Ghana.
Israel products and technology hold much promise in various key focus sectors such as; agricultural, WASH (water, sanitation), cyber, fintech, health & pharma, telecommunications, mining & construction tech, and homeland security.
Mr. Tessel is set to take over the responsibilities of the Trade Mission during the summer months and expressed how he looks forward to building on the work of his predecessor.
“I feel very proud and excited taking upon myself the leadership of the Israel Economic and Trade Mission to Ghana. My main objective is to create and expand meaningful and mutually beneficial business connections between Israeli and Ghanaian companies, introducing more and more Israeli technologies and innovations to the Ghanaian market. Israeli solutions hold much potential both for Ghanaian businesses, and perhaps most importantly as innovative solutions that can benefit the Ghanaian people and consumers. There is a lot of room for Israel and Ghana to grow and benefit through increased business and trade, and I look forward to facilitating efforts in this regard.”
Ms. Ayelet Levin-Karp expressed her satisfaction with the Trade Missions’ work during its first four years, in establishing itself, its reputation, and its record for facilitating mutually beneficial trade and business opportunities. She expressed her confidence in Mr. Tessel’s abilities to take the Mission from “start-up” to “scale-up”, solidifying relationships, expanding trade sectors, and bringing even more opportunities for Ghanaian and Israeli businesses to work together.
