Madam Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has held a meeting in the Hague with her Dutch counterpart, Mr Wopke Hoekstra, on the margins of the Africa Adaptation Summit, held in Rotterdam.
A statement issued by the Ministry, and copied to the Ghana News Agency, said the discussions centered on the desire by both countries to strengthen the long-standing cordial relations, founded on a mutual commitment to working closely in many areas of common interest.
Madam Ayorkor Botchwey recalled Ghana and the Netherlands’ reinforced collaboration over the years, in a wide range of bilateral and multilateral sectors bordering on trade, investment, agriculture, peace, and security.
The two Ministers, therefore, agreed to follow up on the political consultations held in Accra earlier this year to enhance partnerships and share best practices in the various sectors.
Additionally, they agreed to take steps to help Ghana increase trade volumes through the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Madam Botchwey, therefore, took the opportunity to invite Dutch investors to explore the favourable environment to do business in Ghana.
She briefed her Dutch counterpart on the economic agenda of the Government, which is predicated on the transformation of the economy to perform beyond aid, export more and reduce dependence on imports, with the private sector at the centre.
She said the process of industrialisation leading to the establishment of factories and industries, which Ghana is currently undertaking, would provide job opportunities for the youth.
Madam Botchwey acknowledged the Dutch Government’s impressive expertise in agriculture and processing of produce.
She recalled the rich experience gained when she accompanied President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on a tour to the World Horti Center, which is the knowledge and innovation centre for international greenhouse horticulture, as well as the Cargill Cocoa Processing Plant (where Ghana’s Cocoa is primarily used), to inspect the facilities.
The collaboration with such companies would add impetus to the government’s drive to create jobs for the people and prevent the youth from embarking on perilous journeys to Europe.
Madam Ayorkor Botchwey noted, with gratitude, the various forms of collaboration with the Netherlands through private-partner sector instruments such as the Dutch Good Growth Fund, a Development-Related Infrastructure.
Others are the Investment Vehicle, the Netherlands Senior Experts Programme, Public-Private Partnerships, and new financing and business models, which have been introduced to encourage better participation by the Dutch and the Ghanaian private sectors.
At the multilateral level, the ministers called for cooperation to ensure decisive action in finding lasting solutions to the new threats to global peace and security, including the insecurity in the Sahel and the Gulf of Guinea, terrorism and violent extremism, climate change and its attendant impact on the environment and livelihoods.
They were hopeful that the cooperation at the multilateral level, considering Ghana’s membership of the United Nations Security Council, would lead to finding a lasting solution to the Russian-Ukrainian war and its attendant challenges such as the rising cost of food, fuel, and energy.