Benin, Togo, Ghana – Visit by Chrysoula Zacharopoulou (Mar. 29 – Apr. 3, 2023)

Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, Minister of State for Development, Francophonie and International Partnerships, attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, will be visiting Benin, Togo and Ghana from March 29 to April 3.

Following on from President Macron’s speech on February 27, this visit will focus on young people, innovation and culture, emphasizing several of our priorities as we renew our partnership with Africa. In each of these three countries located in the Gulf of Guinea, the Minister of State will meet with the authorities for updates on our most important joint projects. Ms. Zacharopoulou will underscore the European dimension of our involvement with each of these countries, as well as our solidarity in light of the social and security challenges facing certain regions.

In Benin, the Minister of State will follow up on the commitments taken during President Macron’s visit last July. She will take part in several activities focusing on historical and cultural cooperation, as well as vocational training. On this occasion, she will meet with teachers and students from the School of African Heritage (EPA) in Porto-Novo, which has a partnership with France. She will also attend the presentation of a project to create a cultural and creative district in Cotonou, where the new Institut Franco-Beninois will be located. She will sign agreements to fund the “Pro Far 2” project carried out by the Benin government, the French Development Agency (ADF) and the Luxembourg Agency for Development Cooperation (LuxDev) to expand agricultural and rural training.

In Togo, the Minister of State and Prof. Moustapha Mijiyawa, Minister for Health, Public Hygiene and Universal Health Coverage, will sign a cooperation agreement to strengthen our partnership on health. She will also speak with teams from the Lomé Teaching Hospital. Her visit to Togo will also illustrate of the strength of our cooperation in the cultural sphere. Among other things, Ms. Zacharopoulou will attend a presentation of the “Togo Creatif” project at the Institut Français du Togo, which aims to support cultural expression in Togo and showcase the country’s heritage.

During her visit to Ghana, the Minister of State will visit a skate park created by the NGO Surf Ghana, with support from the AFD and private partners, that enables young Ghanaians to train in this sport. At the University of Ghana, she will attend a presentation on a French-Ghanaian research project on plastic recycling. Ms. Zacharopoulou will meet with the French and French-speaking community at the Lycée Français International d’Accra and the Ecole Ronsard. She will also visit Osu Castle to pay tribute to the victims of the slave trade.