Accra, Ghana, June 10, 2019//-The European Commission Vice President for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness, Mr. Jyrki Katainen, arrives in Ghana on 13 June 2019 for a two-day official visit as part of a two nation visit to Togo and Ghana.
While in Ghana, Mr. Katainen will participate in the first Ghana-EU Business Forum, on 14 June in Accra and deliver the closing remarks alongside H.E. Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice-President of the Republic of Ghana. He will also hold bilateral meetings with Ghana’s Vice President and the Economic Management team.
He will deliver a lecture on the EU-Africa Alliance at the Kofi Annan ICT Training Centre, hold meetings with civil society and the private sector and grant interviews to the media.
He will also visit Tema Port’s new terminal, which is providing strategic enhanced capacity for international and regional trade.
In Togo, he will deliver a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the first Togo-EU Economic Forum on 13 June 2019 together with the President of the Republic of Togo, Faure Gnassingbé, which will also be the venue for the launch of the European Chamber of Commerce in Togo.
His visit to the two countries emphasises Europe’s strong commitment and partnership in the region, in the context of the Africa-Europe Alliance for sustainable investment and jobs.
The Africa-Europe Alliance represents a coherent economic strategy of engagement aimed at job creation with the support of sustainable private sector investment, covering de-risking, investment climate, trade/economic integration, including the Economic Partnership Agreements, and education/vocational training.
In view of both countries’ commitments to economic and social transformation and reform undertaken to date (as part of the G20 Compact with Africa launched in 2017), it is clear that both countries offer strong potential for Alliance implementation and its flagship, the EU’s External Investment Plan.
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Jyrki Katainen was born in Finland and holds a Master’s degree in Social Sciences (1998), Honorary Degree of Law (2014) and Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy (2014). His career began in 1988 when he became the Vice-President of the Youth of the European People’s Party, moving on to become a Member of the Finnish Parliament, (1999 – 2014).
He served as First Vice-President of the Regional Council of Northern Savonia, Finland and Vice-President of the Finnish National Coalition Party between 2001 and 2004.
He became the President of the Finnish National Coalition Party from 2004 to 2014, Vice-President of the European People’s Party, 2006-2012, Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of Finland, 2007-2011 and Prime Minister of Finland, 2011-2014.
Mr. Katainen is currently the EU Commission Vice-President for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness, a position he held from 2014 until present.
