Speech by Bert Koenders to mark the 50th anniversary of Ghana's independence
Your Excellencies, Mr Mayor, ladies and gentlemen,
Fifty years ago government leaders came together from all over the world to celebrate the birth of a new nation, named Ghana. The United States was among the 70 countries represented at the celebrations – in the person of Vice-President Richard Nixon. During the ceremony he congratulated a then unknown black leader on Ghana’s independence and its new-found freedom. But the man answered, "No, I am not free yet. I am from Alabama. My name is Martin Luther King Junior." Ghana's independence was not only a new start for the Ghanaian people, but also a beacon for others hungry for freedom – not only in Africa, but all over the world. Back in the US, Dr King told his congregation in Alabama, "You can interpret Ghana any way you like to, but Ghana tells me that the forces of the universe are on the side of justice. An old order of colonialism, of segregation, of discrimination is passing away now, and a new order of justice and freedom and goodwill is being born."
The Netherlands was also part of that old order of colonialism, as witness forts like El Mina on the Ghanaian coast. From there, Dutch slave traders transported their human cargo to the New World. The destination was often Suriname, where plantation owners made use of slave labour until well into the nineteenth century. The slave trade also explains why many traces of the rich Ghanaian culture are still to be found in present-day Suriname – in its language and music, for example.
It is interesting to note here that the Netherlands and Ghana are working together to restore El Mina, to keep the memory of this dark episode in our history alive.
Ladies and gentlemen,
“Ghana, our beloved country, is forever free.” With those words, Kwame Nkrumah announced Ghana’s independence exactly fifty years ago. Ghana was the first country in Sub-Saharan Africa to gain its independence. It is therefore a great honour to be here on this memorable day, to celebrate the golden jubilee of the Republic of Ghana. It is also a privilege to join the ambassador in opening this exhibition marking Ghana’s 50th anniversary and celebrating Ghanaian art and culture, and Ghanaian-Dutch relations.
This exhibition mainly is also a tribute to the warm relations our two countries have maintained for more than 300 years. The relationship between Ghana and the Netherlands is open and based on trust. There is a photograph in this exhibition that shows just how warm our relations are. In it, we see His Royal Highness Prince Willem-Alexander and Her Royal Highness Princess Máxima during their visit to Ghana in April 2002. They are wearing traditional Ghanaian dress. And even Ghanaian traditional dress is often produced using fabric manufactured in this country. Dutch wax has been manufactured for the West African market for over 100 years. Much of the production has now been moved to the region itself – to Ghana, in particular. And as the Minister for Development Cooperation, I believe that this is a very good thing. Another good example of the close cultural relations between Ghana and the Netherlands is the Ghanaian Amsterdammer Kofi Ayivor. He is the most popular percussion teacher in the Melody Line, the warm pulsing heart of Southeast Amsterdam. He is better known as a member of Osibisa, the Afro-rock band that put Ghana on the pop music map in the 1970s. And I just to have his records.
After a period of economic and political stagnation in the 1970s and 1980s, Ghana’s economy has been growing steadily, by six per cent a year. This makes it a model for a more optimistic view of Africa. High economic growth has brought about many positive changes in the country. The number of people living in extreme poverty has dropped in recent years from 33 per cent to 25 per cent of the population. It is also significant that after a period under an authoritarian regime, Ghana has started to appreciate the importance of democracy and human rights. The Netherlands welcomes this development, and will gladly help consolidate and deepen it.
Ghana’s economic growth, plus its macroeconomic and political stability make it an attractive location for many of our businesses. Many companies see Ghana as the gateway to the region, and there is a lively trade between Ghana and the Netherlands, which amounts to more than 400 million euros a year.
Aid is also an important element in our relationship. The Netherlands spends around 60 million euros a year on development cooperation with Ghana. Our partnership has many facets: political cooperation, budget support, private sector development, health care, natural resource management, good governance, cultural cooperation and migration and development. I believe that the sizeable Dutch contribution to Ghana's budget is the best way of supporting the present government's poverty reduction policies and strengthening institutions. The Netherlands contributes to HIV/AIDS prevention, both directly through project funding, and indirectly through broad support to the health care sector. The policies we support have reduced the rate of HIV/AIDS infection from 3.6 per cent of the adult population in 2003 to 2.7 per cent in 2005. Many lives gained. This is an important Millennium Development Goal. Through our contribution to the Ghana Home Grown School Feeding Programme, schoolchildren get a hot meal every day. This not only benefits their health, but leads to higher school attendance rates. Again, an important Millennium Development Goal. To achieve these Goals worldwide, the new Dutch government will work with public and private partners in the Netherlands to develop a strategy to help those countries that are now lagging behind. This is the first priority of the new government.
Like the Dutch government, the Dutch people also have a genuine commitment to Ghana. Ghanaian diaspora organisations play an important role here. I want to underscore the part they play, because their involvement in development-related activities in Ghana is growing. The high turnout for Ghana Day in Almere in 2006 is a good illustration of the interest people from all walks of life show in Ghana. And the International Organisation for Migration has set up a programme for circular migration, enabling Ghanaian doctors and nurses to return temporarily to help develop healthcare services there.
The Netherlands has a deep sense of commitment to Ghana, now that it is engaging more closely with the world around it, in particular in West Africa. As a stable country in an unstable region, Ghana believes that it has an important role to play in the field of peace and security. It is active in various UN peace operations – in Liberia, for example, and in your neighbouring country Cô te d’Ivoire. President Kufuor’s election as Chairperson of the African Union may be seen as a tribute to the constructive role Ghana plays in the region.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I should like to conclude by saying that relations between the Netherlands and Ghana are very warm, with both aid and trade in combination at their core. Ghana aims to achieve the status of middle-income country by 2015. All the signs indicate that it can succeed. Ghana will find the Netherlands at its side as it climbs this hill. After fifty years of independence, it is a good moment to look back, but an even better moment to look forward to a future which I, along with the people of Ghana, have every confidence in.
I would like to propose a toast to His Excellency President Kufuor, and to the Ghanaian people, on this the fiftieth anniversary of Ghana's independence.