Ghana, North Rhine-Westphalia sign co-operation agreement in seven sectors
Ghana and the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia have signed an agreement to deepen the ties of co-operation between the two territories
On Wednesday 25 August 2021 the governments of the Republic of Ghana and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia signed an agreement to deepen the ties of co-operation between the two territories in seven specific areas of co-operation.
The areas, as set out in the agreement, include “non-governmental, not-for-profit and private-sector organisations; diaspora organisations; religious organisations of all denominations; business corporations; local councils; educational establishments” and the GIZ development agency.
The agreement, which was signed by Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Honourable Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, and the the minister-president for North Rhine-Westphalia, Armin Laschet, is guided and informed by the principles and goals set out in the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 and Agenda 2063 of the African Union.
In addition, as part of the G20 Compact with Africa, Ghana and Germany signed “a reform-oriented partnership designed to promote joint, African-style development projects involving public and private players. This partnership has provided the framework for co-operation between Ghana and North Rhine-Westphalia.”
According to a communiqué issued after the signing, “Both sides seek to intensify, at governmental and civil-service level, a dialogue that has already proven effective and productive and to foster exchanges between local communities and local-authority institutions. Both sides welcome and support co-operation between non-governmental organisations (NGOs), churches and not-for-profit organisations from both countries.”
Technical skills and applied sciences
Ghana and North Rhine-Westphalia will also support collaboration between colleges of higher education, particularly with regard to the universities of applied sciences and technical universities newly established by the Ghanaian government.
Activities will centre on measures to enhance the organisation and profile of the new universities of applied sciences and assist in the creation of courses focusing on practice over theory.
The two sides also consider job skills training, the promotion of business and job creation in growth sectors to be essential fields of co-operation.
“Companies from North Rhine-Westphalia are to be notified of opportunities afforded by the Ghanaian market, whilst the benefits of collaboration with North Rhine-Westphalia are to be better advocated in Ghana,” the statement said. “The international competitiveness of Ghanaian companies should be improved.
“The partnership also aims to foster discussion and mutual exchange on the subjects of entrepreneurship, start-up support and the realisation of new labour-market potential,” the statement added.
Protection of resources and sustainable business practices remain important goals of the partnership between Ghana and North Rhine- Westphalia. The agreement stresses that “these can also be pursued and achieved as part of joint educational and training initiatives and through additional funding for social and technological innovation”.
The two sides further reiterated their commitment to “trusting co-operation when it comes to managing migration”. And they will work towards expanding their interaction in the health sector, “for instance, as joint partners in a clinic initiative and by providing funding for health projects run by civil-society groups”.
On matters relating to enhancing collaboration between tax authorities of the two sides, “the sides jointly decide to continue and enhance collaboration between their tax authorities in matters relating to the decentralisation of the Ghana Revenue Authority, the steady flow of tax revenue and general good governance”.
Academy of International Affairs
Speaking at 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, President Akufo-Addo said that the importance of the work to be undertaken by the Academy has been heightened by the onset of COVID-19, which has highlighted the importance of international co-operation.
“For us in Africa, what the pandemic has taught us is that it is in the mutual interest of Africa and Europe to forge relationships that will guarantee shared prosperity for us all, as we are bound by close ties of geography and history. Inasmuch as Africans need to move away from the mindset of dependence and aid, Europeans, likewise, must abandon the mentality of ‘charity to the poor Africans’ that has tended to shape their relationships with Africa,” the president said.
He continued: “The time has come for Europe and Africa to establish a sustainable, strategic partnership based on trade and investment co-operation. We have set our sights high, and, to our friends in Europe, I urge you to join us in building a continent of prosperity with equal opportunities for all, which will safeguard the environment against climate change.”
President Akufo-Addo explained that a very important plank expected from a strategic partnership between the African Union and the European Union for shared prosperity will be strong support by the EU for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), whose secretariat Ghana is privileged to host.
He told the gathering at the opening ceremony for the Academy for International Affairs in Bonn that, with the AfCFTA linking 54 markets, covering 1.2 billion people, into a single market, the AfCFTA is the world’s largest free trade area other than the World Trade Organisation (WTO) itself. By 2050, it will cover an estimated 2.5 billion people and be home to more than a quarter of the world’s working-age population.
“Imagine the investment and business opportunities offered by the infrastructure required to link these markets more effectively,” President Akufo-Addo said.
“And imagine the business opportunities that this huge market would offer for manufacturing and service firms from European countries that would establish production facilities in Africa to serve the African markets.
“And with the accelerated growth that would result from all these, the market opportunities for exporters from European countries could be truly amazing.”
Wilberforce Asare
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