Swiss Ambassador to Ghana, Markus Dutly has expressed optimism that bilateral relations between Ghana-Switzerland will witness a major boost in the coming years after recording some significant gains in recent times.
Trade volumes between the two countries last year, Markus Dutly noted reached $1.8 billion though the figure predominantly represents imports of gold by Switzerland.
In addition to gold imports, the Ambassador was pleased to note that of all the imports of Cocoa into the country, Ghana’s cocoa contributed about 57% which he hinted was the backbone of the high-quality chocolates produced by Switzerland.
His optimism is also based on a recent trade agreement signed between the two countries that will see Switzerland assisting government in creating a business-friendly environment and partnering institutions to ensure high-quality operations.
This partnership over a period of four years will result in the expenditure value of close to $80 million with an average yearly input of $20 million.
“When I was mentioning trade volumes, it was the value. The value $1.8 billion was especially related to imports of gold. But when you take out this and concentrate on other materials we import fruits, and of course cocoa. You may know that in Switzerland if you take worldwide imports of cocoa from Switzerland, more than 57% are coming from Ghana. It means that you are responsible also for the quality of the Swiss chocolate quality indirectly” Markus Dutly stated.
