Mr. Ruediger John – German Ambassador to Ghana
The German Ambassador to Ghana, Mr. Ruediger John, has lauded the healthy economic relation that exists between Ghana and Germany. He disclosed this in an exclusive interview with the Diplomatic Call team for the Diplomatic Call Television production on February 27, 2014 at the German Embassy in Accra.
According to him, Ghana and Germany enjoy a solid relationship especially in the trading sector citing the EUR 70 million investments by German Developments Agencies into the Ghanaian economy last yearas a testament to this fact.
“Ghana is exporting more to Germany than Germany imports into Ghana…and this is a sign that this partnership is mutually beneficial since Germany don’t just sell products to Ghana but also buy from Ghana” he said.
Mr. Ruediger explained that even though the relations of both countries date as far back as the independence era, the utmost respect that both countries have for each other is the main reason for the continuous and consistent growth in the bilateral relations between both countries.
Mr. Rudiger said that the African market is the future of global trade adding that Ghana has an economic advantage over other countries in the region due to its stability and for that reason Germany identifies with the West-African country as an ideal destination for investment.
The Ambassador, who resumed his post only two months ago, says his top priority in Ghana is therefore to further strengthen the economic relations between both countries.
“Germany and Ghana is essentially laying down the foundation for future economic prospects” he said. Mr. Rudiger also noted that as much as Ghana could learn from Germany’s economic success, “ultimately each country has to determine specific economic system that is best suitable for them.”
“There’s no recipe for economic success. Economic wealth does not necessarily mean an end to all problems… Germany is economically wealthy yet it has its own problems.” he added.
The Ambassador however refused to be drawn into the football rivalry of both countries when he was asked to make his prediction for the match between the Black Stars of Ghana and the “National mannschaft” of Germany in the upcoming World Cup in Brazil.
“I will answer this diplomatically” he said “I hope both countries make it to the next stage of the group.”
Mr. Ruediger John served as Head of Mission at Namibia in 2008 and in Sierra Leone in 2011 till his appointment to Ghana, which would also be the last post of his diplomatic career.
Diplomatic Call television program will start airing on Viasat One TV and ETV from next month. Do not miss the exclusive, exciting and insightful edition of the program with Ambassador Ruediger when the program starts rolling on the screens.
By Geena Aikins, Diplomatic Call
