Kumasi, June 9, GNA- Mr Peter Linder, German Ambassador to Ghana, has praised the country for its unique efforts at blending traditional values and ruling systems to complement the structures of modern democratic system. He said: "It is of great importance to learn how the traditional values, traditional ruling systems and traditional legislations complement the structures of modern democratic practice in such a way that harmony, coexistence and complimentary effectiveness are ensured". Mr Linder made these observations when he was addressing the National House of Chiefs in Kumasi on Wednesday. He said the German government attached great significance to the harmonious collaboration between the traditional rulers and the elected members of government.

Mr Linder noted that this trend of affairs had enhanced the development of the country and safeguarded the traditional values that were explicitly mentioned in the 1992 Constitution of Ghana. He noted that even though tension and fundamental disputes existed in some areas, the German government believed that, "Ghana's outstanding role in the West African sub-region, her contribution to regional peace keeping, her internal stability and her pilot role in Africa in the NEPAD context is to a large extent, attributed to the general harmony between traditional values and contemporary political structures and the so-called modern world".

Mr Linder said Ghana was a priority partner country for the German Development Cooperation (GDC) and that Germany had recently signed a 48-million-Euro agreement to support Ghana's development programmes for the year 2005/2006. He said the GDC was currently working on 30 projects in the areas of food security and agriculture, employment-oriented private sector development, good governance and decentralisation. Odeneho Gyapong Ababio, President of the House, commended the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and Konrad Adeneur Foundation for their technical and financial assistance to the House, which had contributed immensely to the development of the chieftaincy institution in the country. He also commended the German government for its continued support for the socio-economic and democratic development of the country.