Core area “Sustainable economic development, training and employment” Vocational training, private sector and financial sector development

Another important element of cooperation with Ghana is the BMZ initiative area “Digital technology and data”. The German development cooperation Digital Transformation Center in Ghana brings together a range of different approaches to create an extensive portfolio. The centre serves both private businesses and the public sector as a point of contact for finding digital solutions. The aim of the measures is, in particular, to strengthen micro and small enterprises and start-ups. German support is being provided with a view to assisting them in making better use of the opportunities of digital technology. The major focus is on women-led businesses.

Germany is also cooperating with Ghana on migration by supporting the Ghanaian government in its efforts to develop a migration policy that contributes to sustainable development in the country.

A migration advice centre in Accra has been supporting returnees since 2017 in everything related to reintegration, providing, for example psychosocial support, helping with job placement or assisting returnees in setting up their own business.

Since 2023 the centre is being expanded: Advice is now also being offered to individuals interested in regular migration to Germany, Europe and within the region for work or training purposes. The centre is the central point of contact with various preparatory measures on offer to which interested persons can be directed, for instance technical upskilling or language courses. The centre also raises awareness on the risks linked to irregular migration. Since February 2023, the centre is being cofinanced by the EU – with the European approach being reflected in its new name “Ghanaian-European Centre for Jobs, Migration and Development”.

Ghana has a dynamic pharmaceuticals sector and its regulatory authorities are continental leaders in this field. Ghanaian businesses want to work with international companies, including German players, to establish a local vaccine industry in Ghana. Germany is assisting and supporting this process and wants to sustainably strengthen the Ghanaian pharma sector through comprehensive advice, coordination and knowledge transfer.

This is intended to make a significant contribution to improving health security in Africa. It is the African Union’s declared goal to produce 60 per cent of the vaccine needed by Africa in Africa by 2040 (at present: one per cent). With support from GIZ, the Ghanaian government has drawn up a multi-year strategy for establishing vaccine production in Ghana and set up a national vaccine institute. In the short term, the Ghanaian companies want to set up vaccine filling equipment which covers a central stage in vaccine production. In the medium term the vaccines themselves are also to be produced in Ghana. In order to create favourable conditions for that, Germany is working, together with the EU, with the Ghanaian regulatory authorities.

Impacts: Measures implemented through German development cooperation in this field of action have enabled some 580,000 people to open savings accounts between 2018 and 2022 and facilitated the provision of 115,000 loans to small and micro companies. 3.6 million people especially in rural regions now have better access to digital financial services. Some 84,000 people have completed short-term courses and also basic and advanced vocational training courses. Furthermore, the supply chains for more than 5,600 agricultural and processing companies have been certified to comply with sustainability standards, such as EU organic standards.

• to the overview page on Ghana