The European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, and the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, have officially launched the Multiannual Indicative Programme for Ghana for 2021-2027.
The launch which was held last Thursday was part of activities lined up for the Commissioner’s visit to the country.
The programme is geared towards supporting Ghana’s economic transformation agenda, boost strategic sustainable investments, decent job creation and private sector development.
The programme, under the European Union’s new Global Europe financing instrument would provide €203 million for the period 2021 to 2024 to achieve the targets.
Developed in conjunction with the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, and the European Investment Bank, the programme would support green growth for jobs, smart and sustainable cities and good governance and security in the country.
A press statement issued by the EU Delegation to Ghana said that the document was prepared in close consultation with Ghanaian authorities, civil society organisations, including women and youth organisations, local authorities, private sector representatives, the UN and other partners.
“These priorities were jointly determined with Team Europe partners and in close consultation with Ghanaian authorities, civil society and other relevant stakeholders,” it said.
Partner
Ms Urpilainen said that the country was a strategic partner for the EU in West Africa, acting as an economic powerhouse and an anchor of stability.
“The EU sees concrete opportunities to deepen our partnership by working
together on Ghana’s green and digital transition, security situation, and at multilateral level by promoting our common values,” she said.
“The EU Global Gateway strategy will serve as one of the frameworks for our partnership with Ghana, with the aim to boost smart, clean and secure connections and to provide the quality investment needed in Africa,” she added.
Global Gateway
The Global Gateway is the new EU strategy to boost smart, clean and secure links in digital, energy and transport, and strengthen health, education and research systems across the world, the statement said.
Aimed at promoting sustainable and trusted connections for people and the planet and tackling the most pressing global challenges, the strategy aims to mobilise up to €300 billion in investments between 2021 and 2027 to support a lasting global recovery, taking into account partners needs and the EU’s own interests.
Priority areas include climate change and protecting the environment, improving health security and boosting competitiveness and global supply chains.
The statement added that the EU was already active on some of the priorities, through the European Union Agriculture Programme in Ghana (EU-GAP), supporting the agricultural sector in the Upper West, Savannah and North East Regions.
Another support was to the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) through the Holistic Reinforcement for Sustainable Development (HORESD) project, to help manage solid waste and improve service delivery in the metropolis.
The EU, supported by the European Investment Bank and the French Development Agency, also funded the restoration and upgrade of the Kpong Dam in 2019, the statement added.
BY: Graphic Business
