Government-to-government cooperation
Strategic Sector Cooperation (SSC) is a government-to-government cooperation. It is a central instrument in the Danish foreign and
security policy and development cooperation. The cooperation is between Danish
public authorities and national partner authorities and promotes
equal partnerships.
Government to Government
Denmark’s strong position across various sectors is reflected in both Danish authorities and companies, strengthening sectoral linkages.
Denmark has two main modalities for government-to-government cooperation:
- An aid- and development-oriented modality in developing countries and growth economies, including in EU neighbouring countries
- A commercial- and export-oriented modality with high-income countries and selected emerging markets. Read more about this modality here
Strategic sector cooperation
Strategic Sector Cooperation (SSC) is a government-to-government cooperation within a specific sector. It is a central instrument for the Danish foreign and security policy and development cooperation, and also paves the way for Denmark’s economic diplomacy.The cooperation is between Danish public authorities and national partner authorities and promotes equal partnerships.
The SSC creates alliances by sharing expertise and experiences through peer-to-peer collaboration within policy development, regulation, planning, enforcement and implementation.
The primary aim of the SSC instrument is to help strengthen the capacity of the national partner authorities in improving framework conditions and related product or service delivery to enhance partner countries’ inclusive, just and sustainable social and economic development and green transition. This is done by engaging Danish authorities in sharing relevant experiences and competencies. The secondary aims of the SSC instrument are to strengthen Denmark’s bilateral diplomatic relations, including climate diplomacy, and to pave the way for further engagement and use of Danish technology and knowledge on a commercial basis in the countries in the longer term.
The SSC instrument focuses on sectors where Danish public authorities have knowledge and expertise that are in demand internationally. These include for example energy, water, environment, urban development, maritime affairs, health, food, statistics, education, intellectual property rights and agriculture, and cross-cutting themes such as the green transition, good governance, and sustainable economic growth.
The foundation of the SSC instrument is an equal partnership between Danish public authorities and public authorities in partner countries, which is reflected in peer-to-peer collaboration between public sector experts working for similar authorities in their respective countries. As such, the starting point of each cooperation is a match between the demand and priorities of the authority in the partner country, based on nationally identified issues in the local context, and Danish best practices and solutions as per the Danish public authorities’ competencies and expertise.
outcomes
The overall objective of the SSC is to contribute to improved framework conditions for partner countries’ inclusive, just and sustainable, social and economic development and the green transition.
The outcomes of the SSC instrument:
Primary outcome:
- Strengthened capacity of partner countries to develop, implement and enforce framework conditions for inclusive and sustainable social and economic development, including, but not limited to: sector-specific and multi-sector policies and policy coherence, laws, regulations, strategies, plans, programmes, services and tools;
Secondary outcomes:
- Strengthened bilateral relations between Denmark and partner countries on sector-related issues, through bilateral agreements and in international fora; and
- Enhanced engagement of the Danish private sector in partner countries in the long term, sharing knowledge and possible solutions and identifying opportunities for promotion of financial investments, contributing to inclusive and sustainable social and economic development in the partner countries.
Results
✔ Capacity building
Capacity Building: From Data to Action – How Statistics Drive Change in Ghana
Ghana, with a population of nearly 34 million distributed across 16 regions and 261 districts, has long faced challenges in collecting and disseminating timely and accessible data for decision-makers. The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has historically faced challenges in providing timely data that effectively supports the development of adaptable and evidence-based policies.
In response to these challenges, a project with Statistics Denmark supported GSS in launching a national statistics database, the Stats Bank, to improve data accessibility. One of the project’s major achievements was the publication of the 261 Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) reports, which identified key socio-economic challenges across all districts in Ghana. These insights laid the groundwork for targeted policy interventions and marked the fastest report publication in GSS history.
The project also played a critical role in strengthening the technical capacity of GSS through training programs in R-automation and Python. More than 30 GSS staff is trained in R and R-automation through the project, around 10% of GSS staff. These programs facilitated automation in data processing and visualization, thereby enhancing the institution's ability to support evidence-based policymaking. A key takeaway from the program’s implementation was the value of using a Training of Trainers (ToT) model to build broader institutional capacity and ensure the long-term sustainability of the skills developed.
By reinforcing Ghana’s statistical infrastructure and promoting data-informed governance, the project has contributed to more effective public administration, increased trust in state institutions, and better-targeted interventions for vulnerable populations. For instance, in Ada-West, a new water well was installed, reducing water-fetching time for the 40% of residents who previously walked over 59 minutes for access. In Afigya Kwabre North, the proportion of citizens registered with the national health insurance scheme rose significantly from an initial uptake of 56%.
These outcomes demonstrate how improved capacity building can translate into tangible improvements in access to essential services and overall quality of life at the local level.
✔ Bilateral relations
The interaction between the Danish state and Danish municipalities inspires digitalization in Brazil
In a country with 27 states, 5,571 municipalities, and dramatic regional disparities in development, creating a joint public digitalization strategy is no easy task. Nevertheless, the Brazilian Secretariat for Digital Government (SGD) has done exactly that—drawing strong inspiration from Denmark’s two decades of experience in this field. The ongoing implementation of the strategy, which was launched in 2024, also draws on Danish institutional ideas through intergovernmental cooperation. One example is the creation of municipal digitalization communities modeled after KOMBIT, which can accelerate digital innovation and offer market-shaping prices for public digital solutions by coordinating and aggregating municipalities in public tenders. This enables cheaper and better digitalization, which can be rolled out more quickly and reach more of Brazil’s 220 million citizens with user-friendly public services.
✔ Economic diplomacy
Strengthening Economic Diplomacy: Supporting Bangladesh’s Sustainable Transition Through the Garment Value Chain
To support Bangladesh in its transition from the least developed country (LDC) category, the interaction between the SSC on work environment and the embassy's economic diplomacy has been strengthened. With its LDC-status, Bangladesh has had duty-free access to the EU, which has particularly benefited the textile industry.
After graduation in 2026, Bangladesh’s duty-free access will depend even more on compliance with human rights and labour rights according to the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP+) requirements. The embassy has therefore established an integrated value chain advisory team that promotes social and environmental sustainability in the garment industry's value chain. The team advises Danish companies and their Bangladeshi suppliers based on the SSC and the Trade Council's commercial instruments. The focus is on improving working conditions in factories in Bangladesh and on sustainable business - but also on how commercial investments in energy and logistics can make the value chain greener and more efficient.