European Union Ambassador tours Ashanti Region

The Head of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Ghana, H.E. Ambassador Irchad Ramiandrasoa Razaaly has concluded a 3-day working tour of the Ashanti Region to familiarise himself with the operations of the Boosting Green Employment and Enterprise Opportunities in Ghana (GrEEn) project being implemented jointly by the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and SNV Netherlands Development Organisation in the region.

Ambassador Razaaly and delegation engaged with service recipients of UNCDF’s Cash for Work (CfW) initiative and financial service providers working with the GrEEn Project to provide access to finance to beneficiaries of the GrEEn Project as well as Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) in the region.

The GrEEn project is a 4-year action of the EU, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ghana, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation and the UNCDF. The project aims at creating greater economic and employment opportunities for youth, women and returning migrants by promoting and supporting sustainable, green businesses in the Ashanti and Western regions of Ghana.

The GrEEn Project is implemented under the EU Emergency Trust Fund (EUTF) for Africa with a funding of EUR 20,000,000 from the EU and co-funding of EUR 600,000 from SNV and UNCDF.

Ambassador Razaaly and his delegation were welcomed by the Ashanti Regional Minister, Hon Simon Osei Mensah and together they paid a courtesy call on the Asantehene Otumfuor Osei Tutu II at the Manyhia Palace. During their interaction, Otumfuor Osei Tutu II commended the EU for their intervention in the region, especially with regards to the provision of jobs for the youth as well as the EU’s focus on climate change and climate mitigation in the region. Otumfuor Osei Tutu II further urged the EU to scale up their intervention and recommended areas such as reafforestation as one of the means of job creation that could be explored.

The Ambassador was accompanied by the Deputy Ambassador of Norway to Ghana Kyrre Holm; Head of Cooperation, Head of Governance and Civil Society Section and Programme Officer at the EU Delegation to Ghana, Massimo Mina, Anna Lixi and Emmanuel Soubiran; Country Lead at UNCDF Ghana, Enea Stocco; and the Country Director of SNV Netherlands Development Organisation, Anjo van Toorn.

The visit was also to explore partnership with EU for future collaboration.