German President Steinmeier Arrives In Ghana Tonight On State Visit

German President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier is expected in Accra this evening for a three day state visit. 

President Steinmeier is to be accompanied by the Federal Minister of Economy and Energy, Mrs. Brigitte Zypries, the Deputy Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Friedrich Kitschelt, the State Minister at the German Foreign Office, Maria Böhmer as well as a substantial business delegation and guests from civil society. 

He is also expected to be accompanied by 17 representatives of German companies that are working to realise Germany’s commitment under the G20 Compact with Africa to bring more investment to Ghana.

The state visit will be the first trip to an African country by President Steinmeier, since he took office in February this year.

This underlines the close partnership between Ghana and Germany 60 years after establishing diplomatic relations.

President Akufo Addo will receive President Steinmeier on Tuesday, December 12.

The visit will focus on discussions on the youth in Ghana, scientific and academic cooperation and migration, vocational training, investment and business promotion.

During the visit, the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta and Germany’s Deputy Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Friedrich Kitschelt, will sign the bilateral “Investment and Reform Partnership" agreement.

The agreement will bring up to 100 million Euros of the German Government’s support to promote private investment into renewable energy in Ghana as well as vocational training. 

The private investment is Germany’s commitment under the G20 Compact with Africa, which was signed in Berlin in June, 2017. 

A cooperation agreement for the opening of a Merian International Centre for Advanced Studies at the University of Ghana would be signed under the auspices of President Steinmeier.

It will be signed by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Development, Francis Dodoo, and the Director of the Arnold-Bergstraesser Institute of the University of Freiburg, Germany Andreas Mehler.

The Centre, the first of its kind in Africa, has a thematic focus on sustainable governance and would be supported by the German Ministry for Education and Research. 

While in the country, President Steinmeier will hold discussions with academics and students at the University of Ghana, Legon, as well as visit the West-African Transport Academy in Tema, which is a Public Private Partnership between the German investors Scania, Bosch, and ZF on one side, and German Development Cooperation on the other.

The Academy offers state of the art training facilities for young Ghanaians. 

Under the support for Start-Up companies in Ghana, President Steinmeier will also meet with young Ghanaian entrepreneurs who are currently being supported by Germany to help them develop their businesses and link them with international ones. 

The German President will also attend the sod-cutting event at the new Ghanaian-German Centre for Jobs, Migration and Reintegration in Accra. 

The Centre offers advice on technical and vocational education and training (TVET) opportunities in Ghana, supports returnees from Europe in their reintegration, provides information on the risks of irregular migration and the possibilities for legal migration to Europe.

It will make use of the extensive network of German cooperation in Ghana, especially in the areas of TVET and agriculture.

President Steinmeier will have encounters with experts and staff of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre  and get first-hand information on the security situation in West Africa. 

Germany is one of the main supporters of KAIPTC.


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