Africa-Press – Ghana. Germany will again support Ghana this year with more than €65 million (about GH¢823 million) in development cooperation, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany, has announced.
He noted that the details of the support, which is subject to the approval of the German Bundestag, would be negotiated and finalized later this month.
President Steinmeier made the announcement on Monday at a joint press conference with his host, Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama at the end of their bilateral talks at the Presidency in Accra.
The German President arrived in Accra on Sunday evening for a three-day state visit to Ghana.
“We are actively involved in training the younger generation — something that was particularly important in our discussion — to help them find good jobs, for instance in the health sector, the pharmaceutical industry, and the digital economy,” President Steinmeier stated.
“We are also working together to improve energy efficiency and expand renewable energy. Furthermore, we agreed today to hold regular high-level political consultations on bilateral, regional, and international issues of mutual interest.”
This, the German President noted, reflected the shared goal of strengthening their dialogue and cooperation with key partners like Ghana, and expanding it strategically.
Speaking of the economy, President Steinmeier underlined that Ghana was an important trading partner for Germany in Sub-Saharan Africa — one of the world’s fastest-growing regions.
He said with an almost balanced trade relationship, the trade volume increased by more than a quarter last year, reaching €626 million — nearly GH¢8.3 billion — and they had agreed to continue expanding this trade and make better use of investment opportunities, which he believed they had not yet fully exploited.
He said it was in this direction that representatives of major German companies were on the trip to Ghana, adding that the members included specialists in infrastructure development and construction, as well as in high technology — from satellite to medical engineering and much more.
He reiterated that Ghana was already an attractive business location and an important hub for the region — a gateway from which neighbouring markets could also be served.
He said Ghana offered many advantages not found everywhere in Africa; such as a well-educated population, English as the working language, and very little time difference with Europe; stating that taken together, these were ideal conditions for investment.
“At the same time, it is crucial to create opportunities for Ghana’s rapidly growing young population, and I am very much looking forward to meeting with startup founders who wish to share their innovative ideas and services with German companies.”
He said besides economics, science and research were also central elements of the bilateral relations between the two countries.
He said Ghana and Germany also worked closely in vocational training to meet the demand for skilled labour in both countries.
He said on his visit to Kumasi on Tuesday, there would be breaking of ground for an expansion of a vocational training center, where new training programmes would begin next year.
President Steinmeier said this also included a nursing school near Kumasi, where, starting next year and with German funding, 200 highly trained nurses would be educated annually for Ghana’s healthcare system.
“This underscores just how important academic and professional exchange is for our bilateral relations.”
President John Dramani Mahama, on his part, briefed the German President on Ghana’s proactive diplomatic engagement to foster dialogue and rebuild trust and strengthen cooperation amongst our neighbors, including his recent appointment of a Special Envoy to the three Alliance of Sahelian States to promote regional stability, cohesion, and integration.
“I wish to commend Germany’s steadfast and principled support for regional peace and development in our subregion.” President Mahama said.
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