Former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has engaged ambassadors of ten European Union member states with diplomatic missions in Ghana on key national and regional issues, focusing on strengthening cooperation and economic relations.
He held the high-level engagement with the Heads of Mission of Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Malta, alongside a delegation from the European Union.
He described the engagement as forward-looking, with discussions revolving around priority areas for both the European Union in Ghana and the former Vice President. These included regional security, deepening economic cooperation, and expanding investment opportunities in Ghana.
“Our constructive and forward-looking discussions focused on shared priorities, including regional security, deepening economic cooperation, as well as expanding investment opportunities in Ghana.” he stated
The European Union remains a key partner in supporting regional stability as violent extremism continues to affect parts of the Sahel, with concerns of spillover into Ghana. It has supported various initiatives, including the Coastal States Stability Mechanism and the Alliance for the Sahel, aimed at strengthening security coordination and development assistance in the region.
Ghana also became the first African country to sign a defence cooperation arrangement with the European Union, opening access to a €50 million security support package to enhance defence capabilities.
In terms of trade, the European Union is Ghana’s largest trading partner, accounting for several billion euros in annual trade flows. Recent figures indicate that Ghana-EU trade consistently exceeds €5 billion yearly, driven largely by exports such as cocoa, gold, and oil, as well as imports of machinery, vehicles, and manufactured goods. The EU also remains one of Ghana’s leading sources of foreign direct investment.
In previous engagements during his tenure as Vice President, Dr. Bawumia has held several strategic meetings with EU representatives focusing on digital transformation, trade facilitation, and investment cooperation.
These discussions often centred on Ghana’s digitalisation agenda, including improving public service delivery systems and enhancing economic efficiency through technology-driven reforms supported by development partners such as the European Union.
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