OFFICIAL VISIT OF H.E. PRESIDENT NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFO-ADDO TO GERMANY, 22nd TO 28th AUGUST, 2021

            His Excellency the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on 22nd of August 2021 embarked on an official visit to the Federal Republic of Germany at the invitation of the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel. The President was accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey and officials from the Presidency, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Parliament, Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, Ghana Free Zones Authority as well as the Economic Management Team.

The President of the Republic, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was the special guest of honour for the 75th Anniversary of the State of North Rhine Westphalia in Dusseldorf. The President also attended the opening of the North Rhine-Westphalia Academy for International Affairs, whose core purpose is to foster research at the highest level and promote the growth of international and interdisciplinary networks.

(Germany-Ghana Business Forum)

As part of the visit, the Embassy of Ghana in collaboration with Afrika Verein held a Ghana-Germany Business Forum and b2b meetings on 24th August, 2021 in Düsseldorf, to explore business opportunities and also seek partnership in developing trade relations with German business community, in various areas including health, food processing, energy, housing and infrastructure among others.

(Business Forum Group Photo)

The second part of the Presidential visit was the G20 Compact with Africa Conference in Berlin. The German Compact with Africa Initiative, with the support of development partners and international organizations (IOs), have been working for many years to tackle impediments to private investment across the continent—at the national, regional, and pan-African levels. Much knowledge has been accumulated in this process on the wide range of issues that need to be addressed to boost investment levels.

(G20 Compact with Africa Conference)

The CwA initiative is based on the premise that significant progress can be achieved through a coordinated and country-specific analysis of the obstacles and market failures impeding private investment in African economies. It brings together the analytical perspectives of governments, would-be investors, and International Organizations with extensive operational experience in Africa and deals with concrete situations rather than generic cases.

EMBASSY OF GHANA BERLIN

 06TH SEPT, 2021

GHANA ELECTED TO THE UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL FOR THE 2022-

2023 TERM 

The Embassy of Ghana in Berlin wishes to inform the public that on Friday, 11th June, 2021, the General Assembly of the United Nations elected Ghana to serve a two-year term on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the period January 2022 to December 2023. Ghana secured 185 votes out of 190 votes cast. Ghana obtained the highest number of votes compared to the four other Member States that were elected, further cementing Ghana’s high standing in the comity of nations.

The endorsement of the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is deeply appreciated. Ghana also thanks all other Member States for their confidence in Ghana’s candidacy. The broad support for Ghana confirms the trust Member States have in our membership of the Council and Ghana’s capacity to help address challenges confronting our world today including violent extremism, terrorism, climate change, etc.

As indicated during our campaign, Ghana’s tenure on the Council will focus on Enhancing Global Peace and Security for Sustainable and Inclusive Development. Some of the priorities include:

I. Commitment to placing the critical agenda of conflict prevention, post-conflict reconstruction and multilateralism at the heart of UN peace and security agenda;

ii. Promotion of Human Rights, sustainable development, peace and security in advancing the work of the Security Council, especially at a time when the United Nations is mobilising all Member Stated towards combating the COVID-19 pandemic;

iii. Advocacy for the implementation of the actions recommended by the High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations, such as improved strategic planning, better force generation, enhanced safety and security and strengthened efforts to combat sexual exploitation and abuse;

iv. Strengthening partnerships between the United Nations and continental and regional organizations such as the AU and ECOWAS in conflict prevention, peacekeeping operations and special political missions; and

v. Addressing conflicts caused by environmental factors such as land degradation, desertification, drought and climate change.

Ghana stands in readiness to be an active and instrumental member of the UNSC for the maintenance of international peace and security. Ghana is grateful to the AU, ECOWAS and all Member States of the UN for the opportunity to collaborate with them and be a voice for Africa on the Council.

EMBASSY OF GHANA BERLIN

 14TH JUNE, 2021

HON. DR. MATTHEW OPOKU PREMPEH, MINISTER FOR ENERGY, PARTICIPATES IN THE 14TH GERMAN-AFRICAN ENERGY FORUM, 1ST-2ND JUNE, 2021 IN HAMBURG

At the invitation of the German-African Business Association (Afrika-Verein), Ghana’s Minister for Energy, Hon. Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh led Ghana’s delegation to the 14^th German-African Energy Forum in Hamburg, Germany from 1^st to 2^nd June 2021.

The Forum was the Honourable Minister’s first in-person conference since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. The Forum which was held under the theme; Regaining Momentum: Africa’s Energy leading to a Smart, Green & Inclusive Economic Transformation, was aimed at inciting innovative and realistic business solutions for Africa’s energy challenges. The Forum offered Ghana’s Energy Minister the opportunity to shed some light on Ghana’s progress in the sector so far as well as indicate areas that needed support.                                                         Hon. Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh during Panel Discussion

Whilst there, the Honourable Minister also participated in a panel discussion with the Minister for Power of Nigeria and the Permanent Secretary on Energy of Senegal. In his submission, Hon. Dr. Opoku Prempeh asked investors to set realistic expectations in the energy industry in Africa. He stated that many sub-Saharan African countries had not industrialized yet, thus energy consumption remained low. In that regard, he underscored that investment in the processing of raw materials and the manufacturing industry of Ghana was a good step to increasing the gains in the energy sector.On Ghana-Germany relations, he indicated that Ghana was currently working on equitable basis with the German government through its development agencies and the German Development Bank (KfW) to implement major transmission and renewable energy generation projects across the country.

The Honourable Minister was accompanied by Ghana’s Ambassador to Germany, H.E. Gina Blay, Mr. Kwame Agyeman-Badu, Managing Director, Electricity Company of Ghana as well as officials of the Volta River Authority, the Energy Ministry and the Embassy of Ghana in Berlin.

                                                                    Amb. Gina Blay with officials from Ghana Delegation

    Amb. Gina Blay with Counsellor, Economic, Trade & Investment of the Embassy, Ms. Miriam Aba Arhin