Ghana-German Partnership

Ghana's Foreign Minister Akwasi Osei-Adjei, who personally signed the agreement at a development conference earlier this week in Bonn, said he saw it as a step in reaching the UN's millennium goals for combating poverty.

At the same time, Osei-Adjei emphasized equality in the partnership.

"It's not about one side profiting as much as possible and then going," he said. "I expect that it will be a lasting relationship. Ghana and Germany have been friends for a long time. This is a unique opportunity."

It's not the first time, however, that a German state has paired up with an African nation. The Rhineland-Palatinate's long-time cooperation with Rwanda serves as precedence.

Diaspora essential in shaping partnership

Ghana's strong democratic system and the many existing groups in North Rhine-Westphalia that have been involved in development in Ghana for years are just a couple of the reasons the state minister for intergenerational affairs, family, women and integration, Armin Laschet, said he thinks the trans-continental partnership is a good idea.

In addition, the fact that German state is home to major companies like Thyssen and Bayer, strong universities, research institutions, the German headquarters for the United Nations and many development organizations allows for a wide variety of cooperation possibilities.

"We also have a large Diaspora community of Ghanaians who live in North Rhine-Westphalia and will be active in this partnership," added Laschet.

Osei-Adjei also said he wanted to see the Ghanaian Diaspora population more strongly integrated in the development of North Rhine-Westphalia as well.

"A Ghanaian can, for example, take a loan from one of the many banks here," he said. "Then he can invest it at home in order to make a profit and then pay back the loan. North Rhine-Westphalia would benefit from that as well."

Coincidentally, both the German state -- Germany's largest of 16 -- and the western African country have 18 million residents.