Germany donates ?2.5m to Annan's centre

Bundase (E/R) Aug. 11, GNA - Mr Peter Linder, German Ambassador has announced that his country would support the Kofi Annan International Peace Keeping Training Centre with 2.5 million Euros this year. The money would be spent on courses on the training of elections observers from Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) with the German development agencies; GTZ and ZIF would be the executing agencies on the part of the donors.

Mr Linder, who was speaking at the inauguration of facilities for the Field Training Team of the Kofi Annan International Peace Keeping Training Centre in Budase said it was an honour for him to be participating in this year's ceremony, which was within "the framework of our bilateral military cooperation."

He said the events "have become regular highlights in relations between Ghana and Germany. This is a clear sign of the excellent state of affairs between our two countries."

He expressed gratitude to Ghana for allowing Accra to be used "as a hub for the evacuation of German and other nationals from Ivory Coast last November.

"The operation had been very successful. Following this very positive experience a German military team had visited Accra earlier this year and was able to reach agreement with the Chief of Defence Staff and his Officers on an even enlarged cooperation, including the deployment of relevant numbers of soldiers and adequate equipment in the unlucky case that such an operation was necessary again in the future." He said the Kofi Annan International Peace Keeping Training Centre has become a showpiece and an outstanding Centre of excellence and that Germany was not only a key player during the construction period and during the take-off of operations, but she "will also continue to support the Centre in the future with qualified integrated personal and financial means for the conduction of courses."

He said Germany would assist in the inauguration of a building for the Field Training Team of the Kofi Annan Centre and that she would provide a minibus and six more accommodation blocks to facilitate field training.