The European Union (EU) has adopted its Multiannual Indicative Programme for Ghana for 2021-2027, under its new Global Europe Instrument.
The Programming document takes the form of a Joint Programming for Ghana 2021-2027, which has been developed in a Team Europe spirit with the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland, in cooperation with the European Investment Bank.
The document has been prepared in close consultation with Ghanaian authorities, Civil Society Organisations, including women and youth organisations, local authorities, representatives from the private sector, the UN and other partners.
The strategic goal of the Joint Programming in Ghana is to accompany Ghana’s transformation process towards the consolidation of its middle-income status sustainably. The EU Partners jointly commit to support the following priority areas:
– Green growth for jobs
– Smart and sustainable cities
– Good governance and security
For its part, the EU will provide funding amounting to €203 million for the period 2021-24 to reinforce the EU-Ghana partnership and advance our common interests.
The financial allocation for 2025-2027 will be subject to a decision by the EU, following a review of the implementation of the Multiannual Indicative Programme in 2024, which will include a dialogue with the authorities and other key stakeholders of Ghana.
EU Ambassador Irchad Razaaly said:
“The European Union has a long-standing partnership with Ghana. Today, we are making an additional step forward, by committing ourselves to long-term support for green growth, smart and sustainable cities, and strengthening good governance and security in Ghana, issues of shared values and interest following fruitful discussions between EU and Ghanaian authorities and other key stakeholders.”
“I am particularly pleased that we will continue our support in the area of security, in order to ensure that Ghana remains resilient to both internal and external threats.”
This resonates particularly as Ghana currently chairs ECOWAS and seats in the UN Security Council. We will also continue to support efforts towards a more sustainable economy.
Following a successful EU-Ghana Partnership Dialogue in November 2021, the EU looks forward to further strengthening our political partnership with the Ghanaian government in these new priority areas.”
Concrete actions
The adoption of the Multiannual Indicative Programme is an important step in reinforcing and concretising the EU’s partnership with Ghana.
It will enable the EU and Ghana to continue working together on programmes and projects that are built on shared objectives, principles and values.
Through the defined priorities and related actions (programmes and projects) that will be further developed, the EU reaffirms its place as a key political partner to Ghana.
In 2021, Ghana was the first country in the world to receive vaccines through the EU’s COVAX initiative; the EU hopes to continue its support to the Ghanaian health system, notably by helping develop its vaccine manufacturing capacity.
The EU has shared so far 381 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines and is planning to share 700 million doses by mid-2022.
Support for sustainable and ethical practices across the agriculture, cocoa and fisheries sectors is also at the centre of ongoing EU action in Ghana.
This includes the €132 million European Union Agriculture Programme in Ghana (EU-GAP) and the organisation of the national-level EU Cocoa talks in 2021, which provided a unique platform for discussion between stakeholders enabling an inclusive and frank dialogue.
With the new priorities, we will maintain our support in these areas, while increasing focus on job creation and digitalisation.
Finally, the EU hopes to strengthen security in Ghana by building on its existing initiatives, notably its projects on Preventing Electoral Violence and Providing Security to the Northern Border Regions of Ghana (NorPrevSec) and Strengthening Border Security (SBS), as well as several maritime security programmes.
These bilateral actions will be complemented by multi-country programmes financed under the Global Europe Regional programme for Sub-Saharan Africa. Additional support will be provided under the Global Europe thematic programmes and its non-programmable Rapid Response Actions component.
Supporting common values and interests
The agreed priorities will be implemented in partnership with the European Union Member States in a Team Europe approach, as well as in cooperation with Switzerland and the European Investment Bank.
They are in line with the UN’s 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement and the EU’s Global Gateway Strategy.
– The EU’s priorities in Ghana align with the Global Gateway strategy’s aim to build sustainable and trusted connections for people and the planet while tackling the most pressing global challenges.
Through the ‘Smart and sustainable cities’ component of the Joint Programme Document, the EU aims to improve the resilience, greening and social inclusiveness of secondary cities and regional capitals in Ghana.
It also aims to boost smart, clean and secure links in the digital and energy sectors, improve service delivery, while promoting democratic values, good governance and transparency.
– The priorities for Ghana will be partially implemented under the Team Europe Initiative (TEI) “Smart, green and digital recovery in Ghana”, with an estimated EU contribution of €100 million – this represents about 50% of the bilateral envelope for 2021-2024 for Ghana.
The TEI will contribute to the government’s transformation and recovery agenda, with a strong focus on the green and circular economy and robust policy support to the climate and environmental policymaking.
– The three priorities of the EU for Ghana also contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
They notably align with SDG 11 on sustainable cities, 13 on climate action, and 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions.
They also fulfil SDG 17 “partnership for the goals”, by enabling the EU and Ghana to work closely together to achieve common objectives.
Source: Citi News