Vice-President, Honourable Ministers, Excellences, Distinguished Guests,

It is a great pleasure to welcome all of you on this first day of the Danish State Visit to Ghana. I have been looking forward to visiting Ghana with great expectations, and I am delighted to be able to participate in this historic business conference.

Denmark opened an Embassy in Ghana in 1961. Since Ghana was chosen as a priority country for Danish Development Cooperation in 1989, our countries  have worked jointly to reach ambitious goals in areas such as health, water and sanitation, transport, environment, judiciary service, and the private sector.

However, there has always been more to our partnership than development cooperation. Danish companies have operated in Ghana for many years. An iconic example is the Fan Milk vendors on bikes selling ice cream and refreshments. Founded on a Danish business idea more than 50 years ago, Fan Milk has grown to become one of the best-known brands in Ghana and the success has spread to other

West African countries. Fan Milk has created employment opportunities and income for thousands of people across Ghana and in the region.

The Danish company Maersk is another example of a long-standing commercial partnership between our two countries. Sea trade is instrumental for Ghana’s international trade, and Maersk Line has been operating here for the past 26 years. Underlining the belief in Ghana’s continued economic growth, APM Terminals, along with the Government of Ghana, are investing heavily in the expansion of Tema Port, Ghana’s main international trade gateway.

Management of natural resources is a joint challenge for Denmark and Ghana. A range of Danish companies in cooperation with the Ghanaian authorities have improved water management for potable and wastewater treatment. This cooperation has had a very positive impact on the wellbeing of many households in Ghana.

Also in the fields of renewable energy and health care, we are seeing new promising partnerships, which will certainly grow in the years to come.

I believe that the presence of 39 Danish companies as well as leading Danish business associations is a testimony to the commercial opportunities in Ghana, and I am pleased that a number of companies have used the occasion of the State Visit to sign promising partnership agreements. Last but not least, I am happy to see that so many Ghanaian business representatives reciprocate the interest from Danish companies.

Ghana is calling for commercial collaboration, and Danish companies are responding. The Danish business delegation represents an important pool of know-how as well as innovative solutions to the challenges that Ghana is facing today and in the years to come. The business conference today offers a unique opportunity to explore the opportunities for creating and further strengthening commercial partnerships of mutual benefit to Ghanaian and Danish companies.

It is my sincere hope that Danish and Ghanaian companies and authorities will use the occasion of the State Visit and the business conference to engage in productive dialogue on how we can extend our commercial partnership and best utilize our common resources to ensure the prosperity of our two nations.

With these words, let me propose a toast to the Vice president of the Republic of Ghana, Mahamudu Bawumia, the Government, and the people of Ghana.