A couple of weeks ago, I was hosted by His Excellency Jakob Linulf, the current Ambassador of Denmark to Ghana, who is also accredited to several West African nations including Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Togo, and Guinea-Conakry, at the Royal Danish Embassy in Accra.
Being my first engagement with Ambassador Linulf since arriving in Ghana late last year, it was an opportunity to congratulate the Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog recipient in 2020 on his posting to Ghana and wish him well on his duty tour in Ghana. We discussed the current state of Denmark – Ghana bilateral relations and the way forward.
Ambassador Linulf acknowledged the thriving relationship between Denmark and Ghana over the years and indicated his task to deepening the relationship between the two “like-minded” countries by focusing on strengthening cooperation in key areas such as research, agriculture, renewable energy and sustainable development.
In recent times, relations between the two countries have transitioned from a purely traditional aid-based partnership to a robust, strategic economic cooperation focused on trade, sustainable development, and sector-specific collaborations in strategic areas including maritime, water, climate, and statistics, under the Strategic Sector Cooperation (SSC) initiative.
“In addition, there were some high-level visits including Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in November 2021, to commemorate 60 years of diplomatic relations. During the visit, she met Ghana’s President, visited Tema Port, and inspected the Danish frigate Esbern Snare. This was followed by a 2023 agreement focusing on green, sustainable growth and peace in West Africa,” Ambassador Linulf emphasized.
Having previously served in China and Pakistan, Ambassador Linulf mentioned that the Ghanaian assignment would be focused on areas where Ghana will be willing to expand and work with Denmark. He further revealed he is not new to Ghana as he once lived in Burkina Faso and made several trips to Ghana during the period. He is happy to be back in Ghana, this time as the Ambassador of Denmark in Ghana.
Ambassador Linulf added that “when it comes to sustainability, Denmark has gone through quite a transformation from depending on import of crude oil and fossil based energy to having a society now solely based on renewable sources, energy efficient and we are happy to share this expertise with Ghana for a win-win situation. We see some great news and signs from Ghana and we will continue with our active support to maintain the peace and stability in Ghana and the broader West African region”.
Remarkably, Ghana and Denmark have a common shared vision, both as firm believers in democracy, trade and investment, which serves as a very strong foundation for the partnership between the two countries. In November 2023, the two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding to further strengthen political dialogue and cooperation in key sectors for targeted partnership.
“We are happy to see the efforts by the Ghanaian government to create an enabling environment and policies for local and foreign businesses in Ghana. This will help to consolidate the gains made over the years and lead to an increase in Danish investments in Ghana. As part of our partnership in trade, we want to encourage and see an increase in the free flow of goods to help improve the trade volume between our two countries. I can mention our investments in the maritime sector, specifically at the Tema port to help handle more and larger cargo coming into Ghana. In addition, we want to see the shipping industry going towards zero emission, a shift from using heavy fuel to greener fuel through our support”, he added.
In wrapping up our conversation, the Ambassador lauded the strategic collaboration in the health sector through partners such as Novo Nordisk, in supporting Ghana’s healthcare, particularly in diabetes care for children and called for more prominence in the sector. According to him, unlike Denmark, Ghanaian cities lack the layout to make it easy for exercises on the streets, leading to some alarming trends in Ghana when it comes to obesity and diabetes in recent times.
Story by Chris Koney
Chris is a seasoned Integrated Marketing Communications Professional and International Cooperation Specialist with a vast working experience across several sectors; Media and Broadcasting, Public Relations, Telecommunications, International Cooperation and Investor Relations. Over the last decade, he has successfully managed relationships with Diplomatic Missions, International Finance Institutions, and Development Finance Institutions, played leading role in fundraising and assisted businesses to navigate the complexities of International Trade. He can be reached at [email protected] / +233 20 854 1480.
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