Minister bids farewell to German Ambassador

Accra, May 26, GNA - The outgoing German Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Peter Linder, has called on the Minister of Defence, Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor to bid him farewell.

The Defence Minister applauded the outstanding role that the German Ambassador played in improving co-operation not only between Ghana and Germany but also between the German government and the Ghana Armed Forces.

Dr Addo-Kufuor said co-operation between the German government and the Ghana Armed Forces covered areas such as the Kofi Annan Centre, construction of accommodation facilities at the Bundase Training Camp and donation equipment and construction and rehabilitation of structures at the Recruit Training School and Armed Forces MT school. Other areas were donation of equipment to the 37 Military Hospital and the offer of courses to Ghanaian officers to train in Germany among other areas.

Such assistance according to the Defence Minister had contributed positively to quality training in the Armed Forces for which the Ministry of Defence was very grateful. He also acknowledged the role the German Ambassador played in the improvement of healthcare delivery in the Armed Forces and expressed the hope that the incoming Ambassador will continue with the project initiated by Mr Linder to rehabilitate the Medical Reception Stations of the Armed Forces in all the Garrisons throughout the country. Dr Addo-Kufuor expressed gratitude to Mr Linder for his efforts to secure German Government assistance for the country especially in the areas of Private Sector Development, Food Security and Agriculture and Good Governance.

Germany has so far committed over 900 million Euros to social and economic development in Ghana and wrote off a debt of 240 million dollars when Ghana reached the completion stage of HIPC. Dr Addo-Kufuor expressed the people of Ghana's gratefulness to Mr Linder and wished him well on his next appointment to Guatemala after presenting him with a kente cloth.