Ghana

GIZ local staff

National employees: 497
International employees: 76
Development workers: 10
Integrated experts: 4

_{(as at: 31.12.2023)}  

Ghana has been a partner country for German development cooperation for more than 30 years. The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH opened its office in the capital, Accra, in 1983.

When compared with other countries in the region, Ghana has a stable democracy and above-average economic growth. Ghana’s Government is also committed to implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ranks 8th out of 52 countries in the SDG Index. Growth is being hampered by mismanagement and corruption, and political, economic and social inequalities persist as a result. This particularly affects the distribution of income and wealth within the population. Around 85 per cent of the workforce is employed in the informal sector, where financial and advisory services are difficult to access and barely affordable. Furthermore, many people lack professional training and qualifications, which hinders their prospects of employment and leads to migration.

Following consultations between the German and Ghanaian Governments, GIZ’s work focuses on the following core issues and priority areas:

• Responsibility for our planet – climate and energy: renewable energy and energy efficiency
• Training and sustainable growth for decent jobs
• Peaceful and inclusive societies; good governance

To ensure that Ghana has a reliable and sustainable electricity supply, GIZ is advising the Ghanaian Ministry of Energy on the implementation of a renewable energy law. The objective is also to increase energy efficiency in the country. In addition, GIZ is developing and promoting needs-based training and professional development in the energy sector. GIZ is thus supporting the development and expansion of renewable energy and the introduction of energy saving solutions.

GIZ is promoting inclusive, job-creating growth in Ghana to enhance employment prospects. Training and income-generating opportunities are therefore to be improved for low-income households, disadvantaged groups, returnees and individuals intending to migrate. The aim is also to promote the private sector and digitalisation, in particular. GIZ aims to achieve this by supporting businesses, tech start-ups and disadvantaged individuals with advisory services, financial instruments, and short-term and long-term training.

In the area of good governance, GIZ supports Ghana’s Government and municipalities in generating more revenue. The company is also providing advice on transparent use of revenue to support political objectives, particularly to support disadvantaged population groups and promote local economies. Moreover, audit offices, civil society and citizens are to be supported in demanding accountability from the Government in order to prevent corruption.