The Vice-President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, has called for true partnerships where all countries have an equal voice.
She said that although Ghana was open to cooperation, it would, however, not accept unfair partnerships.
Speaking at the Global Gateway Forum in Brussels yesterday, the Vice-President questioned the nature of global partnerships, saying: “Is it a partnership where you have no voice? Is it a partnership where you don’t even decide how much you are selling your own goods for? These are the fundamental things we think deserve world dialogue”.
Forum
The Vice-President joined other world and business leaders at the Global Gateway Forum in Brussels to commence discussions on strategies for advancing global investments and partnerships.
The forum brings together leaders from the EU and worldwide to discuss investment needs, debate solutions and forge new partnerships.
The European Commission, under its Global Gateway investment strategy and the World Bank Group, is deepening its strategic partnership to promote a new generation of connectivity projects.
An initial pipeline includes 18 high-impact investments across three strategic sectors, namely energy, transport and digital infrastructure, covering Africa, Asia, the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Global Gateway is the EU’s external investment strategy to build smart, clean and secure connections in the digital, energy and transport sectors, while strengthening health, education and research systems.
Shifting global power
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang participated in a panel discussion on the state of the world, where Ghana and other countries stand to benefit from new frameworks for cooperation.
She urged African countries to seize every opportunity presented by shifting global power dynamics to become more self-reliant and proactive in shaping their economic futures.
“We need to move ourselves from a situation where we have been for too long a battleground for the ambitions of others. It’s a question of processing your own resources, your own primary commodities, and entering the market on good terms, on equal terms, so that the real peace of the world will be realised.”
Strengthen
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stressed the need to strengthen partnerships in a rapidly changing global economy.
She said the forum’s focused on advancing global connectivity, mobilising investments and promoting sustainable development.
She said the EU’s Global Gateway initiative had already mobilised over €306 billion in investments, exceeding its initial target of €300 billion by 2027.
Von der Leyen emphasised the importance of genuine partnerships built on mutual respect, shared interests and long-term commitment, citing the EU’s collaborations with partner countries in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.
The President of the European Commission said they are taking the partnership with the World Bank to the next level, indicating the new framework would guide how they steer, govern and monitor joint projects in areas such as energy, transport and digital infrastructure.
“Today, we are taking our partnership with the World Bank to the next level.”
