The implementation of a €100-million bilateral cooperation agreement between Ghana and Germany has commenced.
The agreement includes intervention in various sectors of the economy, such as energy, job creation and good governance.
The German Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Daniel Krull, said this in an interview with the Daily Graphic on the sidelines of a German international scholarship (DAAD) beneficiaries alumni conference at Peduase, near Aburi in the Akwapim South municipality in the Eastern Region last Saturday.
It was on the theme: “Promoting effective policy response to governance challenges in Ghana through a strengthened alumni network”.
According to the envoy, €48 million of the fund will be invested in energy efficiency and environmental protection projects, while €58 million will be expended to create sustainable jobs through vocational training, revenue generation, tax collection initiatives, among others.
Mr Krull said Ghana had potential in clean energy generation, which it could leverage to achieve results to become the blueprint of the nation’s development.
DAAD Helmut-Schmidt programme
On DAAD scholarships, he said there would be an upgrade in the scope and representation of the programme.
The scholarship programme has been the leading scholarship programme offered by the German government to Ghanaians annually, with an average of five persons benefitting from it each year since its inception in 2009.
He urged the alumni to use the knowledge and skills acquired over the years to help shape the growth of their respective workplaces, communities and the country as a whole.
According to Mr Krull, a more robust collaboration and networking among the alumni group would be needed to help achieve the collective goal of the group as it sought to promote effective policy response in the governance processes.
Development agenda
The lead convener of the alumni network, Ms Fortune Selorm Agbelie, urged political parties in Ghana to consider a policy framework — National Development Agenda — which must be devoid of political colouration to help in the accelerated growth of the country.
She explained that the conference sought to bring together all beneficiaries of the scholarship scheme to share experiences on matters of national importance, including public policy and good governance (PPGG).
She said they would present the outcome of the meeting to the government to aid in policy formulation for development.
Source: Daily Graphic
