The UK Connection

Goodwill suffuses relations between Britain and Ghana. Economic links are substantial. But other nations are waiting at the door...

Addressing the Ghanaian Parliament in Accra during her warmly received State visit last November, the Queen recalled Kwame Nkrumah, the West African state's first president, predicting in 1957 that no matter how strong the winds of change might blow in Africa, they would never loosen the bonds of affection between Ghana and Britain.

"I believe," she told parliamentarians, "that, a generation later, the ties between us are stronger than ever."
The bonds may have been strained by the succession of military coups in Accra during the 1970s, but they have certainly been strengthened during the past decade as Ghana has proceeded with the restructuring of its economy, and twice demonstrated multi-party democracy in action with both parliamentary and presidential elections.

During the past 18 months, in addition to the visit by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, there have been trips by the Princess Royal, Robin Cook, the Foreign Secretary, and Clare Short, the Secretary of State for International Development. All this in addition to a procession of middle-ranking ministers and officials as well as a succession of numerous business and investment delegations.

"The UK is our biggest trading partner and I think it will remain so for quite some time," says John Atta Mills, the country's Vice-President. "We are used to the British way of doing things and many Ghanaians have a preference for British products. So I think that when it comes to investing, the British will always have an edge over others."

This goodwill is reciprocated. As the first of Britain's African colonies to attain independence, Ghana made a unique impact on a generation of postwar Britons, who were impressed by the easy-going Ghanaians, their exuberant nature and their striking appearance in their traditional dress. Their distinctive highlife music also caught the imagination.

Ian Mackley, the British High Commissioner in Accra, spoke in glowing terms of the relationship between Britain and its former colony: "I don't think it is possible to improve Ghana-UK relations. They are good. What we have got to do is keep them like that, deepen them and make them more profound."

Britain is Ghana's biggest supplier of goods, excluding oil. For Britain, Ghana is the second biggest market in West Africa after Nigeria, and the fourth largest in sub-Saharan Africa - after South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya. British exports were worth £175 million in 1999, while Ghana's exports here, excluding gold, totalled £154 million.

"There is an immense amount of goodwill toward Britain, and people at all levels stress their British connections," Mr Mackley says.

"Ghanaian businessmen instinctively think of doing business with Britain, or at least letting Britain be the first to quote. There is a great deal of British equipment already in the country and British standards and procedures are still widely applicable."

But, as he points out, there is undoubtedly competition, especially from Germany, France and the United States - and increasingly from South Africa, the Far East and the Pacific Rim. This goodwill towards Britain should not be taken for granted, Mr Mackley warns.

'We are used to the British way of doing things.
They'll always have an edge over others'

British exports are led by machinery and transport equipment, followed by manufactured goods and chemicals. But the second largest group, after machinery, is labelled simply miscellaneous, indicating the wide variety of items in demand.

Britain is also the biggest investor in Ghana, with an estimated £500 million invested, including Lonrho's 33 per cent stake in Ghana's largest gold mine, Ashanti Goldfields.

Dan Abodapki, the Minister for Trade, says that Britain continues to be a much sought after source of investment.
"Trade ties with Britain have increased considerably," he says, "especially since the commencement of the reforms, which explains why the British are still our leading economic partners from the West."

Mr Abodapki points to a particular need for electrical components. Ghana has launched a programme to bring electricity to every home in the country and, at the moment, there are simply no such items made anywhere in West Africa. Many Ghanaian companies are looking for partners in the agriculture sector where foreign expertise in production techniques is much sought after. The area of post-harvest technology - to improve processing and packing for the export market - is ripe for development.

Ghana is also seeking input in fields such as airport communications, navigation equipment, railway infrastructure, power generation, telecommunications, water and waste management and privatisation. Britain's sizeable development assistance commitment to Ghana totals £40 million a year. This goes mainly to primary healthcare, education, public-sector reform, rural infrastructure and water supply improvements.

On a more personal level, the links between Ghana and Britain leads to the High Commission in Accra processing a mountain of visa applications annually. Last year, 30,000 had to be sorted through while this year's total should reach 40,000. About two-thirds of these applications to visit Britain prove successful. At least 200,000 Ghanaians live in Britain and the Ghana High Commission in London estimates that the number of people in Britain who have links with Ghana totals about one million. This huge Ghanaian diaspora, along with other members of the West African migrant community, has created an export trade in yams, which are being shipped to Britain in ever-increasing quantities.

Such is the demand for British visas among Ghanaians that the High Commission will build a £3 million visa office in Accra to deal with applicants quicker.

As John Mahama, the Minister for Communications, says: "The Queen's visit was a kind of indication that truly democracy has blossomed in this country and that ties between Ghana and Britain have reached their highest level again."

Back to top