By Iddi Yire
Accra, Oct 3, GNA – The German Embassy has marked the 32nd anniversary of Germany’s reunification day in Accra.
On October 3rd, 1990, East and West Germany were reunited after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
As part of the event, the Embassy has also line-up a series of activities to mark Germany Days in October such as Germany National Day and Open Days at German International School.
Mr Daniel Krull, the German Ambassador to Ghana, speaking at a press conference in Accra to mark the day, noted that the Russian war in Ukraine, which was in breach of international law, was not only affecting Europe but also countries around the globe, including the African partners.
“We believe that it is not just an option to remain silent on the sidelines regarding the development, regarding the fact that Russia is openly threatening to use nuclear arms and it is just crossing the red line,” he stated.
“We understand that even China and India are no longer willing to support this move by the Russians. I think we should all join forces to defend our charter of the United Nations. We all together should be defending it.”
Mr Krull said it was a painful decision of the Government of Ghana to reopen negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) following developments in the economic field.
He said it was a very challenging time but Germany would continue to support Ghana in its negotiations with the IMF to put together a programme that would enable Ghana to move forward.
He said eternal issues such as the Russian-Ukraine war and the COVID-19 Pandemic had impacted Ghana’s economic situation.
Mr Krull reiterated that the Russian war in Ukraine was negatively affecting the energy market across the globe.
He said Europe was aware of the crisis and expected to see some improvement and progress in European integration.
“So, there are always challenges in times of crisis, and I would encourage Ghanaian partners to also not only to look on the bad side but also to look on the promising part,” he said.
He noted that the Russian war in Ukraine had caused trouble in the energy supply for Europe, forcing it to redesign its energy market in a faster way than it had been planned.
He said one of the elements of the new energy market of the European industry would be related to hydrogen power, and that Ghana too had a huge potential for untapped renewable energy resources such as hydropower sources, which could be engaged in green hydrogen production.
The Ambassador said due to the Russian war in Ukraine there was a shortage of fertilizers (globally), which of cause opens opportunities for local producers of fertilizers.
He encouraged Ghanaian investors to consider utilizing the opportunity of local production of fertilizers; stating that German industries and investors were ready to engage their Ghanaian counterparts.
He mentioned the upcoming Joint Economic Commission meeting of the two nations, which would take place in October in Accra and that a high-level representative of the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action would be coming to Accra to discuss future cooperation of the private sector.
He also pointed out the upcoming negotiations on their future development cooperation, adding that Germany was one of the last remaining important bilateral development cooperation partners of Ghana and that their portfolios amount to some 700 million euros.
He said the focus was on the three “Gs” – Green Energy, Growth, and Good Governance; stating that the commissioning of the solar energy plant in Kaleo by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was an important milestone for Ghana’s portfolio for the green energy field.
He said Germany strongly believe that there was a lot more to come in the green energy field and that Ghana had not yet touched its full potential.
Mr Krull, who expressed concern about the recent spates of coup d’états in the West Africa subregion, lauded President Akufo-Addo’s leadership role in promoting peace and stability in the sub-region.
The Ambassador, who described his first year as a German Ambassador to Ghana, as an amazing year, added that the greatest treasure of Ghana was its people.
He said Germany was very pleased with the level of progress Ghana had made in reforming the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector.
GNA