By Hon. Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markins
Yesterday evening, I had the pleasure of joining H.E. Frederik Landshöft, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Ghana, members of the diplomatic corps and other distinguished guests at the German Residence in Accra to commemorate Tag der Deutschen Einheit 2026, German Unity Day.
For the people of Effutu, Ghana’s relationship with Germany is more than an expression of diplomatic friendship. It is a partnership whose impact can be seen in the skills, livelihoods and opportunities created for generations of our people.
Our experience of German support dates back to the 1980s, when German volunteers began working in Effutu to advance vocational and technical skills development. Those early interventions have endured and evolved over the decades, contributing to the development of what is today the Winneba Vocational Training Institute and helping to foster a broader culture of practical skills development within our constituency.
That relationship remains very much alive.
German volunteers continue to visit Effutu regularly, at times almost every other month, working directly with our people and providing hands-on apprenticeship and technical training across a range of trades. Behind these exchanges are real human stories: young people acquiring employable skills, artisans improving their craft, apprentices becoming masters of their trades, and skilled men and women gaining the capacity to establish enterprises of their own.
This is the kind of international partnership that makes a tangible difference: diplomacy translated into skills, skills into enterprise, and enterprise into jobs, dignity and economic opportunity.
That spirit of partnership carries particular significance when we reflect on Germany’s own history. German reunification is a powerful reminder that societies can overcome division and build a more prosperous future through freedom, democratic resolve, peaceful cooperation and sustained investment in their people.
For Ghana, the circumstances are different, but the underlying lesson remains relevant. Our own progress will depend on our ability to strengthen democratic institutions, expand opportunity and equip our people with the skills and capabilities required to participate meaningfully in economic development. It is in this context that Ghana’s partnership with Germany, particularly its longstanding investment in technical and vocational skills in communities such as Effutu, assumes even greater significance.
On behalf of the people of Effutu, I express our profound appreciation to the Government and people of Germany, as well as to the generations of German volunteers whose service has contributed to skills development and economic empowerment in our constituency over several decades.
Our responsibility now is not merely to celebrate this history, but to build upon it by expanding technical and vocational education, strengthening apprenticeship pathways, supporting entrepreneurship, and equipping a new generation of Ghanaians with the skills and confidence to build productive livelihoods for themselves and create opportunities for others.
Ghana values its enduring friendship and cooperation with Germany. In Effutu, we have experienced its impact firsthand.
