The Presidency has announced that the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, “will embark on a three-day State Visit to Ghana from Sunday, 2 November to Tuesday, 4 November 2025”.

This was communicated in a statement by the Presidency on October 31. The Presidency noted that, while he will arrive on Sunday, but the official schedule will begin on Monday, November 3.

On Monday (Day 2) of his visit, President Steinmeier will embark on about seven activities, including holding bilateral talks with his host, President John Mahama, at the Presidency, after which a State Luncheon will be held in his honour. He is later scheduled to meet IT specialists in Ghana and, finally, attend a reception at the German Ambassador’s Residence.

“The official programme will commence on Monday with President Steinmeier's inspection of a full military Guard of Honour at the Forecourt of The Presidency. President Steinmeier and his host, President Mahama, will hold a closed-door meeting before joining their respective delegations for bilateral talks in the Credentials Room. The discussions are expected to focus on strengthening Ghana-Germany relations, particularly in areas of trade, investment, technology, and development cooperation.

A State Luncheon will be held in honour of President Steinmeier and his delegation at the Presidential Banquet Hall in the afternoon. Later in the day, the German President will be conducted on a guided tour of the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, where he will lay a wreath at the tomb of Ghana's first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah. He will also engage young Ghanaian IT specialists before attending a reception at the German Ambassador's Residence, as part of the statement listed.

On day 3 of his visit, that’s on Tuesday, November 4, “President Steinmeier will travel to Kumasi on the third day of his visit, where he will perform a sod-cutting ceremony at the Kumasi Technical Institute. He will also interact with the Vice Chancellor, staff, and alumni of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).

He will also visit the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research before paying a courtesy call on the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, at the Manhyia Palace”.

After he has embarked on all these activities, “President Steinmeier is scheduled to depart Ghana on Tuesday evening”.

The Greman President's visit will mark his second official visit to Ghana.

The last visit by a German President to Ghana before the current 2025 trip was in December 2017, when President Frank-Walter Steinmeier made his first official visit to the country.

During that 2017 visit, President Steinmeier met with then-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to discuss bilateral cooperation, particularly in areas such as economic development, renewable energy, and migration. His 2025 visit marks his second official trip to Ghana as President of the Federal Republic of Germany.

President Steinmeier's visit comes days after the Grenadian Prime Minister Dickon Amiss Thomas Mitchell visited Ghana from Thursday, October 16 to Saturday, October 18, 2025, for a two-day official state visit. During his visit, the focus of his discussions with the Ghanaian government focused on strengthening bilateral relations in health, trade, education, visa waivers, and labour mobility.

Following his discussions with the Ghanaian government, and Grenada, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate the recruitment of Ghanaian nurses to work in Grenada in an agreement which seeks to strengthen the healthcare systems of both countries while promoting cultural exchange and knowledge sharing in the medical field.

Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, signed the agreement on behalf of Ghana, while his Grenadian counterpart, Joseph Andall, signed on behalf of Grenada, during Grenada’s Prime Minister, Dickon Mitchell’s visit to the Presidency on Friday, October 17.

President John Dramani Mahama, in a speech on Friday, October 17, during a state visit by Grenadian Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell at the Presidency in Accra, lauded the international recognition of Ghanaian health care professionals and the benefits the agreement stands to bring to both countries.

He said, “In the health sector, Grenada’s interest in recruiting Ghanaian nurses and allied health professionals presents a valuable opportunity for structured collaboration between our two countries. Ghanaian health workers have gained international recognition for their professionalism and their compassion. And we’re keen to explore arrangements that address both our national needs and Grenada’s health priorities.

He added, “I’m pleased that just yesterday, Thursday, October 16, our Foreign Minister, the Honourable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and Honourable Joseph Andall, Foreign Minister of Grenada, co-chaired the inaugural session of the Ghana-Grenada Political Consultations. I’m confident that this mechanism will produce practical outcomes that deepen political, economic, and cultural engagements between our two nations.”

The signing of the MoU comes just days after the Health Minister, Mintah Akandoh raised concerns about the balooning and looming unemployment crisis the sector is anticipated to face citing governments efforts to deal with the challenge.

Speaking on the challenges facing employment in Ghana’s health sector, Mr Akandoh, during an appearance on The Point of View on Channel One TV on Wednesday, October 15, revealed that as more health practitioners graduate each year, the unemployment rate within the sector continues to rise.

He said if measures aren’t taken immediately, Ghana could have as many as 180,000 unemployed trained health professionals by the end of 2028.

According to the Minister, the current number of unemployed health workers stands at around 74,000. However, with thousands more graduating each year, the figure is expected to more than double within the next three years.

“By the end of 2026, we will have an additional 23,000. By the end of 2027, we will have an additional 35,000. By the end of 2028, we will have about 47,000. So by the end of 2028, if we don’t employ anybody, this 74,000 is still outstanding — we will have not less than 180,000 trained and they will be at home,” he said.

In light of this, he detailed that the government is working on a recruitment strategy, including collaborations with other international bodies and countries to ship them out in a policy called “managed migration”. Thirteen (13) countries have so far responded; however, most of them prefer to work with specialists.

“So there is a strategy going forward. What we are seeking to do now is that gradually, the government will be employing some of them as we move along,” he said.“We are also looking at what we call managed migration, how we will be able to export some of them. About 13 countries have responded, but the difficulty is that most of these countries that have responded need a specialist,” he added.

He also revealed that Ghana would need not less than GHS6 billion annually to clear the existing backlog of unemployed health professionals.