From December 6 to 11, German Development Minister Niebel visited Ghana and Zambia. During his trip, Niebel met the Presidents and Finance ministers of both countries, but also talked to representatives of the opposition, churches and civil society. He was accompanied by a delegation of German and European Members of Parliament, representatives of the economy, as well as civil society members.

Ghana

In Accra Minister Niebel met the Ghanaian President John Atta Mills and the Finance Minister Kwabena Duffuor. They discussed the German-Ghanaian development cooperation, the establishment and expansion of renewable energies and the strategies on how to fight poverty with the income, acquired in the oil and gas production. He visited 'Public Private Partnership' projects and the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre.

Enlarge image Niebel at the inaugoration of accomodations for nurses in Gomoa Assin, Ghana (© Thomas Trutschel/photothek) “Ghana is an important stabiliser for the whole region,” said Niebel before the trip. He referred to several peaceful government changes in the last years and pointed out that Ghana is the first country to reach a crucial Millennium Development Goal – the halving of people living in dire poverty.

“That is why Ghana is a role model for the whole continent. But Ghana also shows the connection between good governance, poverty-oriented policy and development success,” Niebel emphasised.

“The economic development in Ghana is a Subsaharan success story and we want to support Ghana to sustain this story. From our own experience we know, that this can only happen if you have a well-trained workforce,” he added. A new focus of development cooperation will therefore be professional training.

Zambia

Enlarge image German Development Minister Niebel with Zambian President Banda (© Thomas Trutschel/photothek) After his stay in Ghana, Minister Niebel travelled to Lusaka, where he held meetings with Zambian President Rupiah Banda and Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane, as well as representatives of the opposition, churches and civil society. The talks focused on current challenges Zambia faces.

Niebel underlined the enormous potential Zambia has, but stressed that to activate it, mutual efforts and dedication from the government, the private sector and the civil society are needed. He also visited various projects supported by German organisations and a mine in the so-called 'copper belt'.

“The German Development Cooperation makes valuable contributions in Zambia. We mainly focus on the improvement of water and sanitation supply, support of decentralisation process and the promotion of good governance,” Niebel summarized.

Enlarge image Dirk Niebel at the opening of a 'water kiosk' in Livingstone, Zambia (© Thomas Trutschel/photothek) The Minister was particularly impressed with the success in the water sector, which was reformed with German support in the last years:
“This is a perfect example for the cooperation between the private water company, the regulatory authority and investment funds, which lead to notable success in the improvement of water supply. As a result we see the establishment of so called 'water kiosks'.”  

In both countries Niebel explained the importance of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), which sets minimum standards in the commodity sector. Zambia plans to join the initiative, while Ghana is only the second country in Africa that was certified to comply with all the requirements of EITI.