President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said the economic cooperation between Ghana and Germany is so important that it needs to be reviewed regularly to ensure that the aspirations of the two countries are met.
That, President Akufo-Addo indicated, would be effective if some mechanisms were employed for the constant review of the relationship between the two countries.
President Akufo-Addo said this when Germany’s Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Ms Svenja Schulze, the Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS), Mr Hubertus Heil and the Director-General of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Mr Gilbert F. Houngbo called on him at the Presidency on Monday.
The two German diplomats including the ILO Director-General are in Ghana to discuss with the Government of Ghana, amongst others economic cooperation involving supply chain issues in the Cocoa sector vis-à-vis child labour in the production and processing of Cocoa, migration and security matters in the sub-region.
Ghana, ILO and the German Government had been looking at issues of supply chain issues, especially concerning the production and process of Cocoa amidst child labour issues.
The German Government since January 1st this year is implementing its “Child Care and Force Participation Policy outside its jurisdiction into foreign countries particularly Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire through its business organisations and establishments in Cocoa production and processes.
Ghana has always insisted that the original hazardous activity framework which has been used as the yardstick for measuring children’s involvement in cocoa production needs to be reviewed.
On migration, the German government seeks to transform the German-Ghana Migration Centre into a pan-European one, a move President Akufo-Addo vehemently oppose.
President Akufo-Addo said he was doubtful of the intention to transform the German-Ghana Migration Centre into a pan-European initiative, adding: ….” as far as we are concern, if we are dealing with Germany, let’s deal with Germany…”
He said even though migration issues needed to be re-examined, the European dimension should not just be to deal with Ghana as a country but the collective regional and continental bodies such as the ECOWAS and the African Union.
Migration issues, according to President Akufo-Addo, have been a long-decade fight and would continue to be a contending issue for some time to come until Africa can manage effectively its resources to create business opportunities and prosperity for its teeming youth to stay home.
That, the President told the Foreign diplomats, had been the major preoccupation of African leaders to create job opportunities and engender a business-friendly environment to create prosperity for their peoples.
The Director-General of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Mr Gilbert F. Houngbo, thanked President Akufo-Addo and the Government of Ghana for supporting his bid to lead the international organisation.
Rex Mainoo Yeboah, ISD
