Today marks 60 years of Switzerland, Ghana relations

Today, August 1, 2020, marks 60 years of diplomatic relations between Switzerland and Ghana.

The day is also celebrated as the National Day of Switzerland.

In view of the current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to ensure social distancing protocols, virtual programmes have been planned in observing the day.

Speaking in an interview with the Ambassador of Switzerland to Ghana, Benin and Togo, Mr Philipp Stalder, at his residence in Accra, the Ambassador described Ghana as a priority country for Switzerland’s economic development cooperation.

He said Switzerland’s bilateral relationship with Ghana was traditionally very strong and diversified.

Mr Stalder said since 1960, Ghana had benefited from more than 365 million Confoederatio Helvetica Franc (CHF or Swiss franc), in official development assistance from Switzerland.

For 2017 t0 2020, the pledged budget is CHF 75 million, an average of CHF 18 million disbursements, he announced, saying Switzerland had implemented more than 30 projects to contribute to inclusive economic development.

The ambassador said Switzerland sought to strengthen accountable institutions and effective public service delivery through decentralised budget support, domestic revenue mobilisation, public financial management, debt management, electricity sector reforms and clean energy, as well as urban mobility.

He said Switzerland also supports measures to improve competitiveness and diversification of the economy, business environment, value chain development (cocoa, cashew and palm oil), skills development, financial sector reforms, climate change, and resource efficiency.

55 Companies

Mr Stalder announced that currently more than 55 companies operated in Ghana and employed an estimated 8,500 people, and said more than half of the companies were operating in the agri-business, manufacturing and logistics sector.

The ambassador stressed that Ghana was Switzerland’s second most important trade partner in Africa.

He said total trade volume between Switzerland and Ghana last year amounted to CHF 2.5 billion.

Imports from Ghana amounted to CHF 2.4 billion, with Swiss exports amounting to CHF 37.4 million, while gold and cocoa are the most important imports.

Resident

Currently, he said 1,269 Ghanaians were resident in Switzerland, according to the November 2019 data, while 380 Swiss were also living permanently in Ghana.

Since 1963, he said Ghanaian students and researchers had received a Swiss Government Scholarship for foreign scholars and completed their academic studies in Switzerland.

He announced that Switzerland supports the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) at Teshie as part of regional capacity building for peacekeeping training with civilian and military expertise as well as the funding of courses and specific projects at USD250,000 per year.

State visit

The ambassador recalled a state visit by Ghana’s President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to Switzerland where he was received by the President of the Swiss Confederation, Federal Councilor Simonetta Sommaruga and the entire Swiss government.

He said President Akufo Addo was the first head of state of a sub-Saharan African state since 1957 to be granted this honour.

COVID-19

He touched on Swiss support towards the fight against COVID-19 and mentioned the re-allocation of USD6.2 million of the decentralised budget support to scale up preventive care activities at the district level.

He said the pandemic has had a huge impact on all countries around the world and noted that in Switzerland, they had seen the start of programmes for going back to “normal life’. He also mentioned the lifting of the temporary lockdown in Ghana.