Chancellor Angela Merkel
Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Angela Merkel, is expected to arrive in Ghana today for a day’s state visit.
Information Minister-designate, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, who disclosed this to the media in Accra yesterday, said Chancellor Merkel’s visit to the country is part of a three-nation tour to West Africa, which will see her visiting Senegal and Nigeria.
Ahead of the Chancellor’s visit, Gina Ama Blay, Ghana’s Ambassador to Germany arrived in the country to make preparations.
Chancellor Merkel is expected to be accompanied by the Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Gerd Müller and a high-level business delegation.
Mr. Oppong Nkrumah told journalists that she would be received by President Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House for bilateral discussions, which would focus on efforts at Ghana’s economic resurgence and how those efforts would help improve the migration situation between Ghana, the rest of Africa and Europe.
According to him, she would also discuss security in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) sub-region and Ghana’s role in tackling security in the region.
The focus of the discussions on security, he said, would be on, Togo, Mali and Nigeria and the recent efforts that Ghana, led by President Akufo-Addo, is making in providing leadership to address some of those challenges.
Compact Discussion
He added that she would subsequently participate in a panel discussion on the ‘Compact for Africa’ and areas of priority for partnership moving forward.
“Ghana was recently included in the Compact, involving about €100 millions going towards energy and financial services; moving forward, it’s important to discuss a relationship around the compact and what next steps to take,” he indicated.
Mrs. Merkel would be among the tall list of powerful world leaders to have visited Ghana since President Akufo-Addo assumed office on January 7, 2017.
In November 2017, three European leaders namely French President, Emmanuel Macron, Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte and Estonian President, Khersty Kaljulaid made historic visits to Ghana in what political and economic analysts considered as an endorsement of the key socio-economic and political policies of the Akufo-Addo’s administration by foreign leaders.
By Melvin Tarlue