Official working visit by Federal Councillor Sommaruga to Senegal and Ghana

Bern, 28.06.2021 - Federal Councillor Simonetta Sommaruga will be travelling to Senegal and Ghana from 5 to 9 July. Climate protection will be the main item on the agenda in both countries. In Senegal, Ms Sommaruga will sign a bilateral agreement on climate protection similar to the one already signed with Ghana. She will also take part in several bilateral meetings and a ministerial roundtable discussion in Ghana to examine joint initiatives to protect the climate and the environment. Both in Senegal and Ghana, she will visit several energy and environmental project sites.

Switzerland is a global pioneer when it comes to climate protection, setting a standard for international climate projects that respect both human rights and nature. In recent months, Switzerland has signed bilateral agreements with Ghana and Peru for carbon offsetting projects in these two countries and similar agreements are being prepared for other countries. During her visit to Dakar, Federal Councillor Sommaruga and the Senegalese Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development, Mr Abdou Karim Sall, will sign the bilateral agreement on climate protection approved by the Federal Council on 23 June.

A similar bilateral agreement was signed in Ghana over six months ago. Discussions in this country will therefore focus mainly on measures to implement Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. Ms Sommaruga will attend a ministerial roundtable discussion to assess progress towards implementation. She will also seek assurances that the private sector will be able to benefit from the carbon credits system laid out in the Swiss-Ghanaian bilateral agreement.

During her visit to Accra, Ms Sommaruga will also present SECO’s country strategy for Ghana, which is a SECO priority country for economic development cooperation. For the 2021-2024 period, Switzerland intends to allocate a total of CHF 65 million for economic development cooperation in Ghana.     

In Ghana, she will also visit the Agbogbloshie electronic waste dump as well as a plantation and factory specialised in the sustainable cultivation and production of cocoa. In Senegal, she will visit the largest wind farm in West Africa.


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