Building Bridges Between Accra and the Volta Region: Our New Partnership with Tropigha Is Already Bearing Fruit!

Sometimes great partnerships begin with a personal encounter – and sometimes they start bearing fruit almost immediately, quite literally! German International School Accra (GISA) is delighted to announce its new partnership with Tropigha Farms and the Tropigha Education Center, an educational institution located on the farm of German entrepreneur Helmut Lutz in Ghana's Volta Region.

From GISA to the Countryside – Our Student Teachers Lead the Way

On Sunday, 8 November 2026, our two student teachers, Hanna Laib and Lena Neuhaus, arrived at the farm. For one week, they are exchanging their familiar school environment in Accra for a very different learning setting: the Tropigha Education Center, with its kindergarten and primary school.

The first pictures we have received already show lively lessons in an open, nature-oriented learning environment. Children are practising mathematics, reading and writing, while our student teachers are actively supporting their learning.

Particularly valuable is the exchange with the local teachers: different teaching methods, educational experiences and fresh ideas come together. Our student teachers contribute knowledge from their university training while gaining fascinating insights into everyday school life in rural Ghana.

And there is another rather amusing connection: Helmut Lutz, Hanna and Lena all come from Baden-Württemberg, affectionately known as the Ländle, in southwestern Germany. So it is hardly surprising that, alongside warm Ghanaian hospitality, the two are also enjoying traditional Swabian cuisine. A little taste of home in the heart of West Africa – and perhaps even the occasional conversation in their shared regional dialect!

A Partnership That Benefits Both Sides

Our cooperation is intended to extend well beyond this first visit. In the future, we hope to offer student teachers completing internships at GISA the opportunity to spend one or more weeks working at the Tropigha Education Center.

At the same time, teachers and early childhood educators from Tropigha are warmly invited to visit GISA, observe lessons and exchange ideas with our teaching staff. This mutual exchange of perspectives and expertise promises to enrich both institutions.

We also plan to include the Tropigha Education Center in our internship and volunteer network, helping interested applicants from Germany and other countries discover opportunities to contribute to education in rural Ghana.

The partnership will also create exciting learning opportunities for our own students. Regular educational visits to Tropigha Farms are planned as part of school trips to the Wli Waterfalls region. These visits will allow students to experience agriculture firsthand and explore tropical fruit cultivation, sustainable production and the economic connections between Ghana and Europe.

A Fruity Greeting from the Volta Region

Almost at the same time as our student teachers arrived at the farm, GISA received a generous and delicious surprise: a delivery of fresh pineapples and papayas, straight from Tropigha Farms!

This wonderful gesture also marks the beginning of another initiative. Tropigha has kindly offered to provide our school with a weekly basket of fresh fruit – a fantastic contribution to healthy eating and a wonderful way to bring a little piece of Ghanaian agriculture directly into our students' everyday school lives.

Building Bridges – Connecting Through Education

Our new partnership is a wonderful example of what our school motto, "Building Bridges", truly means: bringing people and educational institutions together, learning from one another and creating new opportunities through cooperation.

Our heartfelt thanks go to Helmut Lutz and the entire team at Tropigha Farms and the Tropigha Education Center for their openness, hospitality and generous support.

We look forward to many more encounters, exciting joint projects and a partnership that will hopefully continue to bear fruit for many years to come!