Today, 27th April, 2022, is a special Day on the calendar of the Dutch. It is our National Day and marks the 56th Birthday of His Majesty King Willem Alexander.
I would like to wish King Willem Alexander een fijne verjaardag (happy birthday)!
I would also like to use this opportunity to reiterate the Netherlands commitment to a continued, strengthened and deepened diplomatic and economic relationship with Ghana. In line with the “Ghana Beyond Aid” agenda and the Netherlands “Aid to Trade” policy, we are looking to further strengthen and move beyond a development cooperation relationship to a trade and investment partnership. Therefore, we are developing a new program focussing on creating synergy between aid, trade and investment instruments which will enable both Ghana and the Netherlands to achieve our shared goal.
The Private sector remains the main driving tool to achieve this shared goal. Irrespective of the present challenges, Ghana’s private sector is seeing sturdy growth. I took office during the COVID-19 Pandemic, and in my 8 months as Ambassador to Ghana, I have been impressed by the fighting spirit and resilience of both the Dutch and Ghanaian Business Community in overcoming the economic shocks of the pandemic, I am confident this resilience will again see us through challenges that lie ahead.
And rest assured, challenges will remain. Presently our minds are very much troubled by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We are proud to stand together with Ghana, currently a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all UN Member states and safeguarding international peace and security. Together we will have to find solutions to the shock waves that this act of aggression has introduced in the world economy and collaborate closely to reduce the impact on Africa as a whole and Ghana in particular.
Ghana presents many investment opportunities and remains an important gateway to investing in Africa. Ghana currently enjoys a good reputation as a favorable investment destination and it is important that facts on the ground continue to support such a positive reputation. The Netherlands government will continue to provide information and investment support to Dutch businesses to help them take advantage of these opportunities in Ghana and form strong commercial partnerships with Ghanaian businesses leading to a more vibrant private sector and rapid economic growth for Ghana.
I congratulate all Dutch nationals in Ghana with the birthday of their Head of State and hope they will enjoy a fijne Koningsdag!
Lang leve de koning! (Long live the King!) Long Live the Netherlands! Long live Ghana!
Netherlands Ambassador to Ghana
Jeroen Verheul
