German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is in Ghana to explore investment opportunities and deepen the bilateral relations between his country and Ghana.
Chancellor Scholz, who arrived in the country on Monday on a two-day working visit, paid a courtesy call on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo Addo at the Jubilee House on Tuesday.
This is the second time that a German Chancellor is visiting Ghana, after the visit of Angela Markel on August 30, 2018.
German Chancellor Scholz’s visit to Ghana, which also took him to Nigeria, is his third visit to sub-Saharan Africa in two years as conflicts and instability everywhere have revealed the growing importance of the energy-rich region which Germany wants to explore.
Also on the agenda for his trip is the realisation that Germany and Europe need Africa more than ever.
They also see Nigeria with a population of 200 million and Ghana 30 million as places to source vibrant workers as their workforce is increasingly ageing.
At the Jubilee House, the two leaders engaged in a tête-à-tête in the Ceremonial room and later engaged in bilateral talks.
The two leaders later addressed the Press where Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Ghana has been a key partner for his country in the field of science and research.
Germany has several academic exchange services with Ghana and has institutions here in the country which are into climate research, tropical medicine, public health and pandemic research and mathematics and social sciences.
He said Germany and Ghana have always had closed culture and economic ties and there are German businesses and industry players who are interested in deepening and developing the relationship.
Germany, he emphasised, is an indispensable and active member of its compact with Africa, adding: “The Compact with Africa meeting which is scheduled in Berlin, Germany in a couple of weeks is an important instrument to mobilise investments.”
Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Ghana is committed on the global scale, a member of the UN Security Council and participates in important decisions in that global body.
According to Chancellor Scholz, Germany and Ghana share a common view of the world such as democracy, as well as the implementation of the UN Charter.
He believes that other African countries should have better representations on international and global bodies and organisations to be able to speak with a louder voice on matters concerning their continent and the World at large.
It is a good development, he indicated that the African Union has been invited to become a member of the G 20.
Also, Chancellor Scholz said his country supports the idea of a permanent African seat at the UN Security Council.
Terrorist attack and violent extremism which is destabilising and ravaging lives and livelihoods in the Sahel regions and the coastal regions of West Africa has been a major concern for his country, the German Chancellor stated.
He said German supports and would contribute to initiatives such as the Accra Initiative which seeks to fight against and eradicate the phenomenon of terrorism.
On his part, President Akufo-Addo Said Ghana and Germany enjoy state-to-state relations in spite of which Government is in office.
President Akufo-Addo expressed gratitude to Chancellor Scholz for his visit which he said had further strengthened bilateral relations between their two countries.
Ghana, according to President Akufo-Addo, has had excellent cooperation, especially in the areas of energy efficiency, development of renewable resources and energy transmission infrastructure.
“These are areas where we have benefited greatly from German technology and assistance,” he emphasised.
Again, he said under the G-20 Compact with Africa, Ghana had benefited greatly from viable resources and cooperation between the two countries.
According to President Akufo-Addo, the two leaders discussed matters of migration, political instability in some West African countries and terrorist and violent extremism in the Sahel region.
The President said Ghana is looking forward to working together with the German government to promote and reform the United Nations, especially with the Security Council.
Rex Mainoo Yeboah, ISD
