Embassy opened – Ghana: Schallenberg signs migration contract

Even though the number of asylum seekers is very small, it is important to prepare ahead,” Schallenberg stressed in a telephone interview from Accra. According to the Ministry of the Interior, there were 14 asylum applications from Ghanaian citizens last year. Referring to India, where there was an unexpectedly large number of applications in 2022, Schallenberg explained: “Caution is the mother of all. If the migrants are already at the Austrian border, it is too late to start negotiations.” Austria has now concluded such mobility and migration agreements with seven countries and is in talks with around 20 countries around the world. The foreign minister mentioned Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka and Kuwait.

New embassy opened
Schallenberg opened the Austrian embassy in Accra on Friday evening together with Foreign Minister Botchwey. It is the eleventh Austrian embassy in Africa and only the sixth in sub-Saharan Africa, he stressed. It is important to “have your foot in the door” because of the dynamic economic development and demographic development of the continent, but also for security reasons, Schallenberg said. Africa is the “only continent on the planet that is becoming demographically younger.” He stressed: “The way we shape our relations with Africa will be crucial for prosperity and security in Europe.” Ghana is a “place of security and democracy” with similar approaches to multinational issues as those in Russia, the war of aggression in Ukraine or disarmament.

Austria and Ghana have a long-standing partnership in the security sector: Schallenberg referred to the use of blue helmets in the UN mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the joint training of military dog ​​handlers. There is also close cooperation in the field of training via the Kofi Annan Peacekeeping Center. The West African coastal state with around 34 million inhabitants is one of the most stable democracies on the continent. Ghana is an “anchor of stability in a very unstable region”. Developments in the neighbouring ‘coup belt’ of the Sahel zone are said to increasingly impact the coastal states on the Gulf of Guinea, be it in the areas of flights and illegal migration, terrorism or organised crime.

Economic potential
Schallenberg, who also met with President Nana Akufo-Addo, was accompanied by a business delegation of ten companies. With its young population and the government’s extensive infrastructure projects, Ghana offers enormous potential for Austrian companies, for example in the areas of energy production, road construction or waste management. For example, the Styrian environmental technology specialist FIMA Industries has signed a contract worth 20 million with the waste management company ZOOMLION Ghana Limited. Specifically, this involves the construction and commissioning of two modern household waste treatment plants in Nigeria, which are to be completed over the next twelve months. Representatives from the cultural sector were also part of the Austrian delegation. They met the artist Amoako Boafo, who will be presenting his first museum exhibition in Europe in the Lower Belvedere from 25 October.

Schallenberg arrived in Ghana on Thursday. He reported that he was able to “handle the program without any problems.” Health-wise, “everything is okay again.” The 55-year-old Schallenberg had recently been acting a bit slower after a hospital stay for pneumonia. After the trip to Ghana, a visit to the UN General Assembly in New York is on the agenda at the end of September, just before the elections for the National Council.