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LATEST NEWS

February 2024

New NRW-Ghana health partnership for more medical specialists in Ghana
There is a shortage of well-qualified specialists in Ghana – especially outside the major cities. The new healthcare partnership between NRW and Ghana aims to address this. It was launched last week. Health stakeholders from Ghana and NRW met in Cologne and planned together how the partnership can be filled with life. A one-month training program for Ghanaian doctors at three university hospitals in NRW will start in September 2024. Further activities such as multiplier training in Ghana are also already being planned for 2024.

 

News archive

October 2023
WACEE 2023: “Ultra Fast fashion” and the impacts
The effects of “Ultra Fast Fashion” on Ghana and possible solutions were one of the topics at the GIZ specialist event “Developing a Circular Economy Ecosystem” at the environmental trade fair “WACEE 2023” in Accra. Experts from the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, the Circular Valley from North Rhine-Westphalia and the waste management authority in Accra provided information on current developments in the field and discussed them with the specialist audience.

September 2023
“Capacities4Green Recovery in the Plastic Industry” in NRW
How can plastics be produced and recycled more sustainably? This question was the focus of the three-week specialist training course “Capacities4Green Recovery in the Plastic Industry” at the Kunststoff-Institut Lüdenscheid in September 2023. 15 production specialists from plastic-producing and recycling companies from Ghana deepened their expertise at the training and networked with companies from NRW.

Capacities4CircularFutures
How can the path from a linear to a circular economy be shaped? The two-week training program “Capacities4CircularFutures” gave 20 public sector professionals from Ghana answers to this question by exchanging experiences with experts and providing insights into good practice examples. The training took place in cooperation with the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy in NRW in September 2023.

November 2022
“Life’s what you make it?” – a web documentary about young people from Ghana
“Life is hard in Ghana,” Kubura tells us before taking us into her world. The web documentary “Life*s what you make it?” shows examples of the realities of life for young people from Ghana. Under what conditions do they live? What moves them? What are they striving for? The interactive, multimedia format provides answers to these questions. Click here for more information.

June 2022
CoInnovation GHN X GER: The winning tandems
The winners of the innovation competition for mixed teams of start-ups from NRW and Ghana have been announced. Click here for more information.

May 2022
Start into self-employment
Basic vocational qualification for 70 female workers from the former scrap yard Old Fadama successfully completed in cooperation with the NGO Street Girls Aid. At the end, the graduates received starter kits for starting the own businesses as hairdressers, pastry makers, soap makers, hat makers and bead embroiderers.

April 2022
Paving the way for an EPR system for plastic packaging in Ghana
At the invitation of the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), GIZ held a stakeholder workshop on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for plastic packaging in Ghana on 7 April 2022 in Accra. Around 40 representatives of the MESTI, the plastics processing and recycling industry and NGOs discussed concrete steps on how to advance a mandatory EPR system through voluntary initiatives. Cyclos GmbH and KEPRO presented examples from Malaysia and Kenya.

February 2022
Apply Now!
Innovation competition for start-ups from NRW and Ghana launched. Business ideas are requested that promote economic and social development in Ghana. Click here for more information.

November 2021
Successful participation in the trade fair in Essen
For eight selected Ghanaian companies, everything revolved around fashion home and crafts in November. They were able to successfully present their goods as exhibitors in Essen.

October 2021
At the world’s largest food fair Anuga 2021
the Ghanaian company Green Action successfully exhibited its products. The entrepreneurs’ expectations regarding the initiation of B2B contacts were exceeded.

October 2021
Successful participation at Plastic Recycling World Expo 2021
Plastics manufacturers and recyclers from Ghana visited NRW. The highlight was the participation as an exhibitor at the “Plastic Recycling World Expo” in Essen. Technical visits to leading companies in the plastic and recycling industry completed the programme.

July 2021
Virtual guidance on how to deal with plastic waste
The Ghanaian government is planning to introduce a system of extended producer responsibility for plastic packaging in order to protect the environment. To support the responsible government bodies and companies in the plastics and recycling industry in this process, GIZ has conducted four online advisory workshops in recent months. Based on practical examples from Europe, Africa and Latin America, the necessary institutional requirements and implementation mechanisms were discussed.

May 2021
Power Up Your Potential : Boosting the e-Commerce capacity of SMEs in Ghana
Participants of our Export Promotion Program had the opportunity to take part in a one-day online training program targeted at SMEs engaged in e-commerce. The online training took place on 12th may 2021 and highlights the opportunities in e-Commerce and the fundamentals of launching an e-commerce business in Ghana. It was carried out by Pan African e-Commerce Initiative (PeCI).

April 2021
Working effectively at a distance – Startup Hub equipment optimized
New equipment such as video cameras, teleprompters and microphones, etc. makes Startup Hubs from Kumasi fit for the future.  In total, technical equipment and furniture was purchased for about 27.000,- EUR for the better equipment of six Startup Hubs in Ghana. Virtual trainings and events are thus possible even in times of the Corona pandemic.

March 2021
New trade opportunities through digital channels
Ghanaian small entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to participate in the digital trade fair “Ghana International Trade Fair” from 27.02 – 28.03.2021. The participants of the GIZ project can market their products and establish new business relationships on the digital platform. For more information, please visit https://tradefairgh.com/

February 2021
At the virtual competition on 25 January 2021, 12 startups from Kumasi, Ghana pitched in front of a jury of entrepreneur experts from NRW. The competition was jointly organized by seven start-up hubs from Kumasi and the Impact Hub Ruhr.

NASTECH Power Solutions was the successful winner. The startup builds small portable solar power generators and batteries from electronic waste, enabling affordable and environmentally friendly power supply, especially for small businesses. The 2nd and 3rd place went to the startups Irecylce Enterprize and EMB Ahenfie. A total of 5.000,- EUR prize money was awarded (1st place 2.500,- EUR, 2nd place 1.500,- EUR, 3rd place 1.000,- EUR). The GIZ team in NRW congratulates the winners!

December 2020
Virtual workshop series on the introduction of extended producer responsibility for plastic waste in Ghana starts in December 2020. Experts report on experiences from Germany and third countries and advise the Ghanaian Ministry of Environment and stakeholders from the plastics and food industry from Ghana on necessary steps to introduce extended producer responsibility.

November 2020
Start of online trainings for start-up hub representatives from Ghana

The Impact Hub Ruhr from Essen is currently conducting virtual trainings for selected hub representatives from Kumasi. The focus is on capacity building for the operation and financing of the business hubs and for the coaching of start-ups.

October 2020
Virtual B2B meetings for eleven Ghanaian companies with export potential in preparation. The exchange with up to 55 German companies enables a first access to the German market.

September 2020
Emergency Covid-19 support for Ghana begins: New mobile water tanks have been installed around the scrap yard in Accra. People there can now protect themselves better against the virus by washing their hands regularly.

June 2020
A new project to provide emergency COVID-19 support for Ghana has been launched. It is geared towards curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus in the informal settlements that have sprung up around the Old Fadama dumping ground in Accra.

June 2020
A new project entitled Promoting Sustainable Economic Development to Secure Future Job Prospects in Ghana has been launched. It is supporting sustainable economic development in Ghana and helping to improve employment prospects in the formal and informal sectors.

April 2020
A change due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic: in the Export Promotion for Ghanaian Companies project, the training planned in Germany with the support of Cefe International will now be provided online.

March 2020
Ten representatives from Ghanaian start-ups based in Kumasi made new business contacts at the German-African Economic Forum in Dortmund in February. The pitch competition for African start-ups was won by a young entrepreneur with her business Ecocent Recycling Limited.

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