Visiting Ghana on Thursday 31 March, the European Commissioner for International Partnerships consolidated the partnership with an African country that is an important economic and trade partner for the EU. Accra was the last stop on her West African tour, after Niger and Côte d’Ivoire (see EUROPE 12923/3, 12923/2).
“As an economic powerhouse and anchor of stability in the region, Ghana is a key partner for the EU in West Africa. The EU sees concrete opportunities to deepen its partnership with Ghana by working together on the green and digital transition, education and youth empowerment, the security situation and at the multilateral level by promoting our common values”, said Ms Urpilainen at the end of her official visit.
During their meeting, the finance minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, and the Commissioner explored opportunities to stimulate green growth and job creation in Ghana.
The Ghanaian minister welcomed the allocation of €147 million from the EU budget to a programme to support and modernise the agricultural sector in his country.
An investment in a large agricultural irrigation project. A €44.7 million financing agreement was signed on 31 March by both parties for a water management project in the north of the country, which will support more than 6,000 small farmers’ households, with the aim of increasing their yields and making them more predictable.
“This is an important investment, targeting 35 irrigation systems, which will stimulate the economic and social development of northern Ghana, essential for the country’s development and stability”, the Commissioner stressed.
These projects are part of the €203 million Global Gateway Investment Package for Africa for the period 2021-2024, which focuses on three priorities: - green growth for employment; - smart and sustainable cities; - good governance and security.
The talks with the Minister for Energy, Matthew Opoku Prempeh, focused on the EU’s Global Gateway investment strategy and prospects for future cooperation under the Continental Power System Masterplan. The EU and Ghana’s green energy ambitions and transition plans were also discussed, including the opportunities offered by renewable energy, in particular green hydrogen.
The Commission’s visit to West Africa gave Jutta Urpilainen the opportunity to discuss with three partner countries the impact of the war in Ukraine on food security and prices, in the run-up to the General Assembly of the Sahel Alliance (Madrid, 4 April) and the high-level event on food and nutrition crises in the Sahel and Lake Chad regions, which will take place in Paris on 6 April. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)