The Diplomat in Spain

Photo: AR

Elizabeth Adjei / Ghana’s Ambassador to Spain

Alberto Rubio. 13/08/2018

Elizabeth Adjei fulfills in Spain her first assignment as Ghana’s Ambassador. And she aims to promote a coherent agenda on global migration. «A priority, both for the EU and for all of Africa», she says.

Last year Ghana held its seventh consecutive presidential election with a peaceful change in power. Have you left behind political turmoil forever?

Ghana prides itself as one of the most peaceful and stable democratic countries in Africa. Since 1992, Ghanaians have embraced parliamentary democratic rule as a way of political governance after years of military disruptions and political instability following independence. Since then, Ghana has worked hard to develop strong institutions of state to protect the rule of law, freedom of expression and transparency in public accountability to advance its young democracy. We are proud to note that Ghana´s increasing recognition as a beacon and standard-bearer of democracy in Africa, inspiring and supporting other countries to navigate the path to democracy.

Ghana has been also in the front line about women’s rights.

Ghana has always championed the cause of women as an essential part of the nation’s development. Women are a very strong force in our culture and therefore it makes eminent sense to recognize that resource for the development of our country. It is very refreshing for us to see that Spain now has more women in its Cabinet than any other country in the world, and I can say that Ghana follows very closely.

How does your Government promote women’s role?

Women have always been a very dynamic force in Africa in general, and particularly in Ghana. Traditionally, women have played crucial roles in the family, working in the farms and engaging in small businesses to support their families. So the strength and dynamism of women has always been acknowledged as an important source of economic, social human capital.  As the World Bank has noted, the involvement of women in development is ‘smart economics’. If women are fully empowered and involved in governance and economic development, this could generate 20% more economic outcomes. So it is imperative for governments to create the opportunities to utilize women’s assets for economic growth and development

In Ghana women’s rights are enshrined in our Constitution. Further, Ghana has adopted the MDG (Millennium Development Goals) and its follow up SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) as well as the Agenda 2063 of the African Union, which places an important focus on women´s empowerment. In 2015, Ghana adopted a National Gender Policy and created a separate Ministry of Gender and Social Protection, which implements the National Gender Policy.

How Does this Gender Policy work?

The Gender Policy has three main strands: first, to empower women by giving them maternal, health and child rights; second, to give women education and skills; and third, to give women funding for small businesses and entrepreneurship,

What is Ghana Vision 2020?

Vision 2020 is the Government’s Policy Framework document for articulating it´s vision of accelerated development for development, and the plans and strategies through which the vision can realized. The Vision was developed in 1996. The Vision has gone through several modifications under successive democratic governments, but the overarching objectives remain the same; i.e. to move Ghana into a middle-income country through accelerated growth. The new NPP Government which came to power in January 2017 has adopted an ambitious blueprint, the Coordinated Program on Economic and Social Policies 2017-2024 as 2020 fast approaches. Its main objective is to create jobs and gradually transform Ghana from aid recipient into a fully developed nation.

The new Vision is anchored on four main pillars: first, Deepening Democracy: political stability, rule of law, public accountability and institutional reforms; second, Economic Transformation: moving from basic agriculture to manufacturing, then industrialization. Like most of Africa, Ghana has been producer and exporter of primary commodities like gold, cocoa, coffee, bauxite, etc., but now the main objective is to add value to our natural resources; third, Promote Private Sector to participate in manufacturing and industrialization. The core of that program is development of infrastructure: roads, railways, etc., and a 10-year development plan to generate energy to support industrialization; and Fourth, to pursue an aggressive Information Technology Development and Digitalization

I guess will be essential to count on young people.

Like many countries in Africa, Ghana is a country of a very youthful population. Ghana´s current youth has evolved in an era of political stability from the late 80s, unlike their counterparts in other parts of the world who have endured political turmoil and repressive or militant environments. Therefore, Ghana´s youth have a lot more positive outlook and confidence for the future than other even though many vulnerabilities still remain. I can say without fear of contradiction, that Ghana´s youth is the most educated youth that we have had in our history. They are ambitious, energetic, promising, and represent an immense potential in terms of skills and knowledge to contribute to the economic development.  It is also a very technology and business savvy population which is indeed a force of social and political change given the right opportunities.  This program is an opportunity to exploit our resources, including human capital, which is the most important asset for our development.

Having said that, the sheer numbers of the youth and the lack of opportunities and high unemployment that characterize African economies means that governments, including Ghana, need to focus more on the youth and deal with their vulnerabilities and fears. We need training in entrepreneurship and business to give them the requisite tools to enable them achieve their aspirations. They also need to be given the opportunities to participate fully in in terms of governance and social economic development.

But we have a shared problem: Migration.

Migration is a serious challenge for Africa and Europe. It is a concern for Africa both in terms of loss of human capital and loss of lives through the migration journey. But the reality is that it is a struggle for livelihoods. As I have already mentioned, Africa´s population is very young, without expanding economies that can provide education, jobs and other social services, sometimes migrating for economic purposes becomes a strong motivation. This is indeed a shared problem and a key priority between the EU and Africa, as the EU is the primary destination for the migrants from Africa. We need to collaborate to address the root causes, fight illegal migration and promote the legal channels of entering Europe. Several instruments on this cooperation already exist between EU and Africa both at bilateral and multilateral levels and we must implement them for the benefit of our peoples. On the other hand, as the phenomenon of migration is rooted in economic and development factors, we must move beyond the existing instruments to focus more on economic improvement issues such as investment in infrastructure, technology transfer, vocational training and private sector development. Genuine support in this area, to help Africa expand its economies and integrate it into the global value chain will be crucial in curbing the flow of economic migrants.

In Europe we tend to see Africa as an underdeveloped region. Is that true?

I don’t know if it is right to use the term underdevelopment, I like to characterize this as countries in different stages of development. Some are more advanced and very modern, but some are still in their formative stages of development after years of political struggle. It is true, that the world is moving and changing fast through the medium of technology and digitization. This actually presents a lot of opportunities for Africa and the rest of the developing world to leapfrog and catch up with development and modernism. In Europe you have gone through various stages of conflicts and revolutions over centuries, so Africa is still in its evolutionary stages (most African countries have only been independent for 50+ years), but it appears we are catching up at a faster rate than it was ever imagined.

Ghana is a model for political stability and economic progress and an inspiration for many African countries. With a very well exposed and open minded population, and modern infrastructure, Ghana attracts a lot of large multinational firms, corporate and international organizations who already have made Ghana their base while working throughout West Africa. Ghana has become a major transportation hub, well connected by air domestically and internationally. The country is open for business with business friendly investment laws focusing on its strategic assets to accelerate development and improve the livelihoods of its populations.

Does Ghana offer tax advantages to foreign companies?

Ghana offers general and specific investment and tax incentives for both domestic and foreign or joint-venture companies. Tax breaks and other incentives are available to specified priority sectors, including agriculture, agro-processing and manufacturing industries either in whole or in exemptions for machinery and equipment. There are also location incentives and other concessions applicable to Ghana Free Zones operations. Special incentives can also be negotiated for identified major or strategic investments with a stated minimum capital in specific sectors upon satisfaction of certain requirements.

In addition, Ghana offers investment guarantees that protect transfer of profits, and Ghana has signed up to Double Taxation agreements with specific countries as well as Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) membership. These incentives have contributed to making Ghana an international business hub attracting key corporate entities which lends prestige to the country.

Are Tourism and Culture part Ghana’s development plans?

Tourism is growing rapidly in Ghana as the country becomes a major tourist destination. Over the last ten years, tourism has contributed significantly to economic growth and has become a major source of revenues and employment as well as growth. Ghana boasts of abundant natural resources, beautiful coastline, slave castles and other historical relics that have become a major attraction to adventure seekers.  In addition, Ghana is a major aviation hub in West Africa and coupled with its well-developed infrastructure that gives the country a strong advantage as a location for international meetings and conferences. The tourism sector has been growing steadily over the last decade and it is part of the government’s program is to continue to promote it more aggressively to make Ghana the preferred destination in West Africa.

What about Spain?

Ghana and Spain have enjoyed very strong bilateral relations which have reflected on economic and business relations between the two countries.  Spain is keen to work closely with leading partners in Africa and Ghana´s stable political climate and other key selling points including availability of natural resources and a relatively highly educated workforce makes it an attractive strategic partner for Spain. Over the last five years, data suggests that bilateral trade and business between Ghana and Spain has been growing steadily.  With its long tradition in vocational and skills development, Ghana is exploring opportunities with Spain on how machinery and technology can play a key role in training and improving productivity of SMEs. Opportunities also exist for both sides to explore in certain key sectors such as Health Services, tertiary education exchanges, transportation infrastructure, industrial design and education, renewable energy, traditional and eco-tourism projects, construction, settlement and housing, sports development etc. Ghana and Spain believe in promoting trade and investment as a way of sustaining development and improving livelihoods.