The German Ambassador to Ghana, Frederik Landshoeft, has called for a deeper and more equal partnership between Ghana and Germany. He argued that both countries have much to learn from each other as the world confronts growing geopolitical, economic and social uncertainty.
Speaking at Germany’s National Day reception at the German Residence in Accra on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, Ambassador Landshoeft said Ghana’s ability to accommodate different identities and traditions while maintaining social cohesion was something Germany and other Western societies could learn from.
Reflecting on Germany’s reunification following the fall of the Berlin Wall, Landshoeft said the lessons of unity remain relevant at a time when power politics, war and major technological, economic, ecological and geopolitical changes are reshaping the world.
He warned that uncertainty can make people retreat into divisions between “us” and “them”, creating walls between countries, communities and individuals.
But after a year in Ghana, the ambassador said he had witnessed a different example of social coexistence.
He pointed to the way Ghanaians combine Christianity, Islam and traditional beliefs, participate in democratic elections while respecting traditional authorities, and use both modern and traditional healthcare practices.
According to him, Ghana’s ability to hold these different identities together peacefully is particularly instructive at a time when political disagreements in some Western societies are increasingly dividing families and friendships.
Landshoeft said the experience had strengthened his conviction that the relationship between Ghana and Germany must move beyond traditional donor-recipient arrangements.
“For too long, relations between Europe and Africa were shaped by profound inequality,” he said, pointing to the legacy of colonialism and an economic model in which raw materials often left Africa while much of the value was created elsewhere.
“That cannot be the partnership of the future,” he added.
He called instead for a relationship built around shared interests, joint value creation, skills, investment and mutual learning.
The ambassador used the occasion to highlight what he described as Germany’s “Team Germany” approach in Ghana.
The initiative brings together the German Embassy, the AHK, GIZ, KfW, GTAI, DAAD, Goethe-Institut, political foundations, Bundeswehr advisers, the German School and German companies, among others.
Although the institutions have different mandates, Landshoeft said they share the objective of combining German and Ghanaian strengths to produce practical results.
He cited security cooperation as one area where the approach is already taking shape.
Germany, he said, regards Ghana as an anchor of peace and stability in West Africa and is supporting the country through military and police cooperation, development programmes and stabilisation initiatives.
He stressed that security should not be viewed solely through the lens of defence, arguing that livelihoods, resilience, trust and opportunities for young people are equally important to long-term stability.
“Defence and development are not separate worlds,” he said.
Economic cooperation was another major focus of the ambassador’s address.
He said Ghana’s ambition to industrialise, create jobs and retain more value within the country aligns with the interests of German businesses seeking markets, skilled workers, partners and resilient supply chains.
Landshoeft pointed to Northshore Apparel in Savelugu as an example of what such cooperation could achieve.
According to him, KfW helped finance the investment while GIZ has supported skills development, standards and market access. More than 2,000 jobs have already been created, with further employment expected as the operation expands.
He said the project demonstrated what economic cooperation looks like when investment, technology, skills and trade are connected to local production.
The ambassador also linked the economic relationship to vocational training, drawing on his own experience.
Before becoming a diplomat, Landshoeft said he trained as a nautical officer assistant and first visited Ghana more than two decades ago aboard a container ship that arrived in Tema carrying containers for cocoa beans.
Returning to Ghana years later, he said the experience had given him a personal connection to the question of how more value could be created in Ghana before products leave the country.
“Talent does not wear only white collars,” he said. “Excellence does not live only in lecture halls.”
He said Germany’s ageing population and Ghana’s youthful population create an opportunity for both countries to cooperate on skills development and labour mobility.
More than 20 German public and private institutions are already working with Ghanaian partners on technical and vocational education and training, while Germany is also expanding opportunities for Ghanaians to learn German.
Landshoeft said the objective should not simply be recruitment, but investment in skills and the creation of opportunities in Ghana.
“Mobility should not drain opportunity. It should multiply it,” he said.
The ambassador also placed climate cooperation within the broader economic and security relationship.
He said climate change, migration, development and security are interconnected and should therefore not be addressed separately.
For Ghana, he argued, climate resilience is ultimately tied to livelihoods, employment and the ability of young people to build sustainable futures within their communities.
On Ghana and Germany’s shared history, Landshoeft acknowledged Germany’s colonial involvement in territories that are now part of Ghana.
He said the past could not be changed but Germany had a responsibility to confront it honestly.
He recalled Germany’s participation earlier in the year in the Next Steps Conference on Reparatory Justice in Accra, where four cultural objects from Kpando, including two war drums and two war horns, were symbolically handed over.
He said Germany remained committed to the return of cultural property from colonial contexts and to deepening discussions with Ghana on reparatory justice.
Looking ahead, Landshoeft announced that Accra will host the German African Business Summit in November, with more than 600 business leaders and decision makers from Germany and across Africa expected to attend.
He said Ghana’s appeal extends beyond its domestic market, describing the country as a potential gateway to West Africa and a platform where Ghanaian and German companies can build value chains together.
He also announced that German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will return to Ghana in November, following his visit the previous year.
Landshoeft described a German Federal President visiting Ghana twice within a year as significant and said it reflected Germany’s view of the importance of its relationship with the country.
The timing will also carry historical significance.
In 2027, Ghana will mark 70 years of independence, while Ghana and Germany will celebrate 70 years of diplomatic relations.
Landshoeft said the seven decades of relations had produced trust, but the next task was to convert that trust into concrete action by combining German expertise with Ghanaian ideas, priorities and ambition.
“Team Germany is here. Ghana is ready. And we are only getting started,” he said.
The evening ended on a cultural note, with performances by Okyeame Kwame and DopeNation, emphasizing the ambassador’s argument that the Ghana-Germany relationship extends beyond diplomacy and commerce.
Landshoeft believes music, culture and people are equally important in strengthening the ties between the two countries.
He described the National Day celebration as not only a day of unity for Germany, but also an opportunity to celebrate the growing relationship between Ghana and Germany.
