The German Embassy will mark its independence day, October 3, with a reception to celebrate together with their Ghanaian counterparts 26 years of German Unity and the strong German-Ghanaian relations.

Ghana and Germany are working together in many fields of international politics and a large number of German institutions in Ghana attests to the diverse nature of the relations between our countries.

Development cooperation is and remains a focal point for Germany in Ghana. However, bilateral trade and investment, as well as cultural relations, are equally important fields of cooperation.

Ghana and Germany share a strong commitment to tackling global challenges like peace and security and the protection of the environment.

On October 3, the Germans commemorate the anniversary of the reunification of their country. It is a day of joy and gratitude for this gift of history.

After more than 40 years the wall of separation between the "Federal Republic of Germany" in the West and the "German Democratic Republic" in the eastern part of the country fell in 1998.

On 3rd October 1990, the West and the East formally reunited thereby overcoming the artificial separation created after the Second World War.

Photo: German Ambassador Christoph Retzlaff

Germany is grateful to its European neighbors and friendly countries without whose partnership, support and determination this feat could not have been achieved.

The German reunification and the European integration are the joint efforts of many states.

In Germany, every year the official ceremony takes place in a different part of Germany. Traditionally, an open public festival is organized on the day.

In 2016 the Free State of Saxony will play host to the open public festival in its capital city Dresden.

"Building Bridges" is the motto of this year's National Day celebration: Nine bridges from different eras connect different parts of Dresden on the left and right sides of the river Elbe.

But of course this motto is not only about infrastructure, but primarily about strong connections between different ideas, cultures, life experiences, between politics and society, and between today and tomorrow.

The people of Germany are convinced that bridges will help, especially in these turbulent times, to reach mutual understanding and to build peace.