 Distribution of Ghanaian citizens in Germany (2021) | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 42,080 (2021) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Hamburg · Berlin · Bremen · Hannover | |
| Languages | |
| English • French • German · Twi · Ga · Dangme · Ewe · Dagbani · Hausa · Guan · Fanti · Nzema · Gonja ·Other languages of Ghana |
Ghanaian immigrants and their descendants living and working in Germany are estimated to form the second-largest of the country's diaspora populations in Europe, after the United Kingdom. [1]
There has been a relationship between Ghana and Germany dating from before the Gold Coast became independent Ghana in 1957. The Volta Region of Ghana was part of the German protectorate of Togoland before World War I. In 1957, 44 Ghanaian students were registered in West German universities through a policy that allowed Africans to build skills in German universities. In the 1960s and 1970s, most of the Ghanaian migrants to Germany were students. They formed local associations in the university towns and cities in Germany, which in turn became the Union of Ghanaian Students in Germany (UGSG). [1] [2]
In 2009, according to Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), there were about 40,000 'Ghanaians with a migration background' in Germany. [3]
Almost 9,729 children were born to German-Ghanaian couples between 1965 and 2006. In 2007, 20,329 persons with Ghanaian citizenship were officially registered in Germany; 8,194 Ghanaian citizens became German citizens between 1980 and 2007. [4]
In 2017 Ghana was reported to maintain good relations with Germany, and there was a large Ghanaian community in Germany, many for education, seeking asylum, or for family reunification. [5] [6]
| Number of Ghanaians in larger cities | |||||||||
| # | City | People | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Hamburg | 7,550 | |||||||
| 2. | Bremen | 3,170 | |||||||
| 3. | Berlin | 2,124 | |||||||
| 4. | Hanover | 1,813 | |||||||
| 5. | Frankfurt | 1,745 | |||||||
| 6. | Duisburg | 1,433 | |||||||
| 7. | Cologne | 1,254 | |||||||
| 8. | Kiel | 1,037 | |||||||
| 9. | Düsseldorf | 977 | |||||||
| 10. | Munich | 943 | |||||||
In 2009 Ghanaians in Germany mostly lived in the metropolises of Hamburg, Berlin and Bremen, the Ruhr region, and the Frankfurt/Main metropolitan area. 22.7% of Ghanaian migrants, the highest percentage, live in the city of Hamburg. Also, 23.8% of the Ghanaians living in Germany live in North Rhine-Westphalia. 9.2% of Ghanaian citizens in Germany live in Berlin. 9.8% live in the federal state of Hesse. There has been a long tradition of Ghanaians migrating to Hamburg, hence the concentration of Ghanaians there. [6] In Ghana, the word 'booga' or 'burger', used to refer to migrants, has roots in the name 'Hamburg'.
In June 2004, through an initiative of the Ghanaian Embassy in Germany, the Union of Ghanaian Associations in Germany (UGAG) was formed to include all Ghanaian associations in Germany. The first attempt in 1996 had failed. Church communities are among the most influential formations as Christianity is the largest religion in Ghana. The Church of Pentecost Germany, Ghana Catholic Mission-Hamburg, the Bethel Church-Stuttgart and the Presbyterian Church of Cologne are the best-known Ghanaian churches in Germany. [6]
Ghana is now one of the top recipients of remittances from its global diaspora. Private remittances make up over one-sixth of the country's gross domestic product. In a survey, 90% of Ghanaians transfer money to Ghana for their families. Some even send more than half their income and go into debt. [6] [7]
From the late 1970s to the early 1980s, a genre of music came up in Germany and Ghana called Burger Highlife – fusion of highlife, and funk music styles. Ghanaian immigrants in Germany created it.
For Ghanaians hoping to study in Germany, the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), valid for direct university admittance in Ghana, is not accepted by German universities; a student has to complete one year of tertiary education in Ghana or complete a one-year preparatory course (Studienkolleg) in Germany. Also, there are no HND top-up courses in Germany; Ghanaians have to apply for the Bachelor's degree in a university of applied sciences. [8]
Learning the German language is required for professions such as nursing and healthcare. [9] Anyone starting a business in Germany must register with the trade office if self-employed, or the tax office to work as freelancers. [10]
Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing a border with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and Togo in the east. Ghana covers an area of 239,567 km2 (92,497 sq mi), spanning diverse biomes that range from coastal savannas to tropical rainforests. With over 32 million inhabitants, Ghana is the second-most populous country in West Africa. The capital and largest city is Accra; other significant cities include Kumasi, Tamale, and Sekondi-Takoradi.
Highlife is a music genre that started in West Africa, along the coastal cities of present-day Ghana in the 19th century, during its history as a colony of the British and through its trade routes in coastal areas. It describes multiple local fusions of African metre and western jazz melodies. It uses the melodic and main rhythmic structures of traditional African music, but is typically played with Western instruments. Highlife is characterized by jazzy horns and guitars which lead the band and its use of the two-finger plucking guitar style that is typical of African music. Recently it has acquired an uptempo, synth-driven sound.
John Collins is a UK-born guitarist, harmonica player and percussionist who first went to Ghana as a child in 1952 for a brief period and later became involved in the West African music scene after returning to Ghana in 1969. He is a naturalised Ghanaian.
The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, often simply shortened to GIZ, is the main German development agency. It is headquartered in Bonn and Eschborn and provides services in the field of international development cooperation and international education work. The organization's self-declared goal is to deliver effective solutions that offer people better prospects and sustainably improve their living conditions.
African immigration to the United States refers to immigrants to the United States who are or were nationals of modern African countries. The term African in the scope of this article refers to geographical or national origins rather than racial affiliation. From the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 to 2017, Sub-Saharan African-born population in the United States grew to 2.1 million people.
The Deutscher Entwicklungsdienst (DED) (German Development Service) was a German development organization active between 1963 and 2010. It was one of the leading European development services for personnel cooperation. It was focused on sending professional Germans to work in developing countries on small development projects. It was a non-profit company with a 95% controlling stake by the German government and 5% by the NGO "Learning and Helping Overseas". It is now part of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (German Society for International Cooperation) (GIZ).
COCE is the name of a research project and stands for "Conservation and Use of Wild Populations of Coffea arabica in the Montane Rainforests of Ethiopia".
Wolfgang Scheffler is the inventor/promoter of Scheffler Reflectors, large, flexible parabolic reflecting dishes that concentrate sunlight for solar cooking in community kitchens, bakeries, and in the world's first solar-powered crematorium. By early 2008, over 2000 large cookers of his design had been built distributed worldwide including the world's largest solar cooker.
Kigali Solaire is a solar power plant in Rwanda and at the time of construction was Africa's largest grid-tied solar energy installation. It was built in 2006 on Mont Jali near the capital Kigali. The plant is using photovoltaics and has a peak output of 250 kW and an estimated annual output of 325,000 kWh. It was financed by the German city of Mainz's utility company Stadtwerke Mainz AG, with Mainz being the capital of Rhineland-Palatinate, which has a partnership with Rwanda.
Chidi Kwubiri is a Nigerian-German visual artist.
Ghanaian nationality law is regulated by the Constitution of Ghana, as amended; the Ghana Citizenship Act, and its revisions; and various international agreements to which the country is a signatory. These laws determine who is, or is eligible to be, a national of Ghana. The legal means to acquire nationality, formal legal membership in a nation, differ from the domestic relationship of rights and obligations between a national and the nation, known as citizenship. Nationality describes the relationship of an individual to the state under international law, whereas citizenship is the domestic relationship of an individual within the nation. Ghanaian nationality is typically obtained under the principle of jus sanguinis, born to parents with Ghanaian nationality. It can be granted to persons with an affiliation to the country, or to a permanent resident who has lived in the country for a given period of time through naturalization.
InWEnt - Capacity Building International was a German institution with worldwide operations in the field of bilateral development cooperation and international cooperation, with a focus on capacity building.
The Ghanaian people are a nation originating in the Ghanaian Gold Coast. Ghanaians predominantly inhabit the Republic of Ghana and are the predominant cultural group and residents of Ghana, numbering 34 million people as of 2024, making up 85 per cent of the population. The word "Ghana" means "warrior king". An estimated diaspora population of 4 million people worldwide are of Ghanaian descent. The term ethnic Ghanaian may also be used in some contexts to refer to a group of related ethnic groups native to the Gold Coast.
Nana Kwame Ampadu was a Ghanaian musician and composer credited with numerous popular highlife tracks and he is known to have composed over 800 songs. He was also known as Adwomtofo Nyinaa Hene. Ampadu was the lead singer, chief songwriter, and founder of the "African Brothers Band". He is regarded as a pioneer of highlife music and one of the most illustrious Ghanaian musicians of the 20th century.
Isaac Kaledzi is a Ghanaian entrepreneur, broadcast journalist, radio personality, and blogger who is the founder and CEO of Africa Feeds Media Limited, a Pan-African media brand. He currently works for Deutsche Welle as their African correspondent while being based in Ghana. He previously worked for the Ghanaian radio station Starr FM Ghana as an editor.
Western Togoland is a self-proclaimed state which is considered by the international community to be part of Ghana. It claims five of the Volta and Oti Regions. On 25 September 2020 separatists in Western Togoland declared independence from the Republic of Ghana. Western Togoland has been a member state of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) since 2017.
The migration of Ghanaians to Germany started in the early 1950s when a West Germany policy permitted the travel of students from some African countries to Germany to further their education. This policy was to equip the students with knowledge which would be useful in their country of origin when they eventually returned.
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Hans-Joachim Preuss is a German agricultural economist.
Ghanaian diaspora | |
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