Exports to Germany increase by 50% first quarter

Ghana’s exports to Germany rose by 50 per cent in the first quarter of this year compared to last year.

Similarly, imports from Germany increased by nearly 40 per cent within the same period.

Export from the car industry in Germany to Ghana, which had increased significantly, was also reflected in the trade figures.

The German Ambassador to Ghana, Daniel Krull, disclosed this at a media briefing on Germany’s growing collaboration with Ghana in Accra yesterday. He explained that the increases were partly related to the high prices of cocoa and gold.

vMr Krull mentioned the main products Ghana traded with Germany as cocoa, food items, particularly tropical fruits, and raw materials such as gold, while Germany traded mainly in machinery, vehicles and spare parts.

“I notice that there are more Audis, more BMWs, more Mercedes-Benz, more Volkswagen running on Ghanian streets these days, and that is also reflected in the trade figures, because the number of exports from the car industries has increased significantly,” the German Ambassador said.

Mr Krull further said that trade figures between Ghana and Germany had, for a long time, been between $500 million and $700 million, before experiencing a drastic drop in 2023.

He said between 2023 and 2024, there was a certain drought, but expressed optimism that the two bilateral partners would get back to pre-2022 levels.

Mr. Krull said Germany had a robust framework for trade, rooted in the European Union, while Ghana enjoyed very preferential access to the European market, including Germany, a privilege not afforded to all countries globally.

He said this was very helpful for Ghana as it would enable Ghanaian manufacturers and agribusinesses to have a reliable framework for their investments.

On security, the ambassador said that since he arrived in the country, Germany had intensified its cooperation with security institutions such as the Ghana Armed Forces, the Ghana Immigration Service and the Ghana Police Service, mainly in the northern part of the country.

Port of Hamburg

Mr Krull further said that deepening trade between Ghana and Germany would be part of the celebration of the 836th anniversary of the Port of Hamburg that would come off tomorrow, May 29, 2025, at the ambassador’s residence.

The Port Anniversary of Hamburg is a big festival in Hamburg.

Hamburg is one of the cities in Germany where many Ghanaians were domiciled, especially in the 1960s and 70s.

The Ghanaian term ‘Borga,’ which refers to a Ghanaian who had sojourned abroad, relates to Hamburg.

Also, a popular Ghanaian music genre, Borga Highlife, was designed by Ghanaian musicians and sound engineers in Germany, including in Hamburg.

And according to the ambassador, this was part of the reason the festival of the town was being celebrated in Ghana tomorrow.

Festival

At the Hamburg Port Festival, the ambassador highlighted some of the dignitaries expected to attend the event, including the newly appointed Ambassador of Hamburg, the Chief Executive Officer of a college in Hamburg, and Ghanaian musicians who had connections with Germany and Hamburg.

The highlights would feature sound bites of Borga Highlife and culinary delights from Hamburg.