Together with Ghana: Strong progress towards the future
Ghana Country Forum NRW: data, dialogue, partnerships
GOVET attended the Ghana Country Forum NRW in Dortmund and the BMFTR Ghana Country Day in Bonn, where Ghana's outstanding importance for vocational training, research and partnership-based development was impressively demonstrated.
Dortmund, 20 September 2025
The Ghana Country Forum NRW was organised by Ghana Forum NRW e. V. in cooperation with Auslandsgesellschaft.de and the Ghana Council NRW and they brought representatives from civil society, administration and practice together in Dortmund. The programme ranged from current situation assessments to best practice examples of municipal and civil society cooperation. GOVET was represented with a substantive contribution: Julia Olesen (GOVET) presented the approach to data reporting in vocational education and training in Ghana. In her presentation, she explained how regular reporting, valid indicators and capacity building in institutions – in particular the Commission for TVET (CTVET) – enable evidence-based management in vocational education and training. The topic is central to ongoing GOVET consulting in Ghana, with the two Ghana TVET Reports 2021/2023 being among the products of this cooperation.
Overall, it also became clear how broad the German-Ghanaian vocational training cooperation has become: from exchange formats and curriculum development to training for vocational training staff and advice on setting up dual elements – supported by ministries, companies, chambers, GIZ/sequa/KfW, universities, NGOs and, last but not least, strong partner institutions in North Rhine-Westphalia.
BMFTR Ghana Country Day: deepening scientific cooperation
Bonn, 2 October 2025
Just two weeks later, the BMFTR Ghana Country Day took place in Bonn. After a welcome session and an introduction by the ministry, a high-level panel discussion highlighted the success factors and future opportunities for German-Ghanaian cooperation in science and research.
A special highlight was the visit of the Ghanaian ambassador in Berlin. Professor Ohene Adjei was sworn in as Ghana's ambassador-designate to the Federal Republic of Germany by President Mahama on 4 September 2025. Professor Ohene Adjei has a very special connection to Germany: he studied in Hamburg and has maintained friendly relations with Germany ever since. This provides a good starting point for strengthening cooperation between the partner countries Ghana and Germany.
A detailed overview presented instruments for promoting bilateral projects – from scholarships and collaborative research to exchange and networking formats. At the ‘Market of Opportunities’, the German-African Business Association, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the DFG, the DAAD, the GIZ and the NRW-Ghana University Alliance, among others, provided information on specific contact points.
In the afternoon, a specialist group dialogue provided an opportunity for intensive discussion on four key topics: climate and energy research, health research, humanities and social sciences, and the interaction between business and science. The aim was to promote professional dialogue, establish new contacts and further develop joint research ideas – also with a view to research-based cooperation in vocational education and training.