Speech from Ambassador William Hanna

Transcription

1 EUROPEAN UNION DELEGATION TO GHANA Accra, 6 May 2015 Speech from Ambassador William Hanna EBO-Ghana Launch Event 6 May 2015, 6 p.m. Moevenpick Hotel Honourable President, John Dramani Mahama Honourable Minister of State Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Representatives of the Private sector and civil society Ambassadors, Development Partners Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Today is a great day for us. The European Business Organisation in Ghana is the first of its kind in Africa. This shows how interested the European private sector is in the development of this country, and the opportunities they see here. Your presence here this evening, Mr President, honours us, and shows that you care about doing business with Europe, and creating a stronger economic partnership with the European Union The Round House, 81, Cantonments Road, P.O.Box: 9505 KIA, Accra Tel: +233 (0) , Fax: +233 (0) , delegation-ghana@eeas.europa.eu

2 Ladies and Gentlemen, this week in Europe we have been remembering the end of the Second World War on 9 May We have also been celebrating the day - just five years later -9 May 1950 when Robert Schuman made his famous declaration. This was an offer to bind the economies of Europe so closely together that our common interests would prevail over national interests, and there would no longer be the prospect of war between us. The method chosen by Schuman and his fellow founders of Europe was a pragmatic one. They chose step by step integration, beginning with a common market, based on free movement of goods, people, services and capital. This has been the foundation of our peace and prosperity ever since. Today the European Union brings together 28 countries We are the world's largest market, with 500 million customers and our businesses are true world leaders in many markets, sectors and technologies When Ghana gained independence in 1957, the new institutions of Europe were just being set up. Since then Ghana has made great strides in democracy, rule of law and in economic development, becoming a middle income country And Europe has been supporting Ghana's development, through trade, aid and investment from 1975 when the Lomé Convention was signed, and since 2000 under the Cotonou Agreement. Where does this bring us today? Today the EU is by far Ghana's largest trading partner, taking 46% of Ghana's exports, 2

3 European businesses are the largest source of Foreign Direct Investment in Ghana, with investments worth more than 6 Billion over the past 20 years. The EU is the largest provider aid to Ghana. The EU disbursed more than 440 million USD of ODA to Ghana in 2013, far more than any other development partners. Today in Ghana the European Investment Bank is in town. The EIB is -the world's biggest investment bank. Yesterday they signed a new loan of with unibank to ease access to finance for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises This is one of many EIB operations in Ghana. Since 1976 The European Investment Bank has provided nearly 600 million to support public sector projects and private sector investment in Ghana and they are eager to do more So we have a strong record, but we do not want to be complacent. We want to do more, and to move to a new level of cooperation with Ghana. We aim to bring our two markets EU and ECOWAS together We aim to encourage more investment in Ghana. We aim to assist diversification of exports and adding value in the supply chain. And we aim to create new job opportunities for the young people of this country We have already agreed together on the new legal framework designed to do achieve these aims. This is the new Economic Partnership Agreement, approved last year here in Accra by all ECOWAS countries The EPA will provide the long term stable framework for business to operate 3

4 Because we know that it is not Government that can create sustainable jobs in the future. Government creates the enabling environment for the private sector to operate in. And that is where the EBO will fit in. The EBO-Ghana will complement the commercial activities of EU Member States. It will encourage public-private dialogue in Ghana to address the needs of businesses, for example on the need for macro-economic reforms, better economic governance; better tax and customs administration and a sound investment climate. The European reach of the EBO-Ghana will give economies of scale in areas such as policy advocacy, provision of statistics, legal advice, communication campaigns and networking thereby supporting the work of the national European Chambers of Commerce active in Ghana. Mr President, the EU is committed to continue its strong support to Ghana in pursuing its development agenda. I have recently talked about my optimism that, following the recent agreement with the IMF, we will soon resume budget support. We have also recently prepared new programmes in the areas of social protection, employment and skills development, to support job creation and the protection of the most vulnerable in Ghana, as well as in the area of anti-corruption and rule of law. We will be working with Government, NGOs, civil society and the private sector to implement these new programmes. Harnessing the potential of the private sector to engage for development is crucial. The new EBO we launch this evening will be the voice of European business in Ghana We trust that EBO-Ghana will deepen the trade and business ties between the Europe and Ghana, enrich the dialogue with the public sector, and create a better business climate for the development of all private companies in Ghana. Way back in 1950 Robert Schuman was the statesman who recognised a ground-breaking idea when he saw it. However history records that the man behind the idea was actually Jean Monnet. And Monnet started out his remarkable career as a successful business man 4

5 in the family business in Cognac. Monnet understood not only the need for vision, but also how to take simple and sure steps to achieve integration. The launch of the EBO today is such a step forward. Thank you for your attention. 5