From Rostock to Ghana

What happens when professional opportunities and personal dreams come together? Anna Toni Paarmann takes the leap to Ghana – for love, her family, and her next chapter at Liebherr.

A young, likeable woman with sparkling eyes and an open, friendly smile. This is Anna Toni Elisabeth Paarmann, aged 27, who worked at Liebherr-Rostock GmbH from early 2024 until the end of February 2026. Here, she took on a role in customer service as a spare parts sales assistant in the Competence Centre Parts. After just under two years, she is taking on a new challenge: a secondment to the service centre in Ghana. For as long as she can remember, she has dreamed of going abroad, says the qualified wholesale and foreign trade clerk, known as Toni. ‘After school, I wanted to go to Sweden’, she muses, looking back with a mischievous smile. But it wasn’t until a little later that her dream of moving abroad finally came true. And for a very special reason: her partner, whom she met in Rostock, lives in Accra, the capital of Ghana.

Toni had often had her eye on Liebherr whilst looking for a new professional challenge. Just under two and a half years ago, she was working in a Rostock-based company dealing with purchasing, sales and customer service for industrial supplies when, during another visit to the Liebherr website, she came across a job advertisement that perfectly matched her profile. She applied on the spur of the moment and, following a successful recruitment process, became an integral part of the customer service team.

As the link between dispatch, purchasing and the joint international sales and service companies (gVG), Toni was a reliable point of contact for customers and gVG matters in day-to-day business and was responsible for spare parts sales. It was always important to keep a cool head, as larger projects in particular – such as gVG integrations or docking – required not only a high level of commitment but also special organisational and coordination skills. ‘But no matter how challenging the day-to-day work was – our strong team spirit was always a great asset and a help. By supporting one another, we achieved our set goals.’ Thanks to her job at Liebherr, she has learnt a great deal, particularly sharpening her strategic insight into processes.

My father advised me: Pack your things, because you're young. Live your life and walk through the doors that open up to you.

After her partner decided in 2024 to return to his home country, the question remained – and a major challenge – of how they could shape their future as a family together with their son. When an opportunity arose at Liebherr to combine work and life in Ghana, the relief and excitement were immense. Family and friends encouraged her and gave her the courage to take this significant step. In particular, her father, who had spent many years at sea himself and had at times called various ports around the world his home, gave her the greatest personal support. ‘Pack your bags, because you’re young. Live your life and walk through the doors that open up to you’, he advised her.

The HR department at Liebherr-Rostock GmbH was always on hand to advise Toni on all matters relating to her new role, organisational issues and contractual matters; they handled communication with the sales company in Ghana (LMG) and kept her regularly updated on the status of the application process. Consequently, she is confident and delighted to remain in her familiar working environment in the future: since the beginning of March 2026, Toni has been handling spare parts sales for Liebherr Mining and Maritime Cranes in Ghana. A new and exciting aspect of her role here is the direct contact with a total of 15 end customers at present.

‘In the months leading up to our move to Ghana, our son and I kept in daily contact with my partner via messages and video calls. We speak exclusively in English with one another. Our son is learning German from me and is growing up bilingual.’ And the anticipation of seeing each other again without the pain of separation, after only a few visits in the meantime, was immense; the first hug upon reunion was all the more intense. When asked why life in Ghana is so particularly beautiful and quite different from life in Germany, Toni has many answers.

Life feels easier here and people seem less stressed.

With its lively streets, music, and fresh food everywhere, Toni describes life in Ghana as ‘not easier, but very beautiful.’

When asked why life in Ghana is so particularly beautiful and quite different from life in Germany, Toni has many answers. ‘Life feels easy here; people seem less stressed.’ She also says there are plenty of opportunities to do things with children. Many restaurants and bars invite you in, music plays in the streets, which are full of life, and with good weather all year round, fresh food is always on offer everywhere. She was particularly impressed by the unique understanding of family, which is held in exceptionally high regard in Ghana. She has unique memories of getting to know her second family in Ghana so warmly. In summary, she describes life there as ‘not easier, but very beautiful.’

Street stalls in Accra offer a vibrant selection of locally grown fruit.

Although Toni welcomed the change with open arms and her excitement eventually got the better of her, there is, of course, one downside: she had to leave her friends, family and colleagues behind in Rostock. Nevertheless, she is hopeful that she will be able to travel to Germany regularly to maintain personal contact with them. Behind her lies an exciting and at times exhausting period, both professionally and personally, which Toni has mastered with flying colours thanks to her organisational skills, her perseverance and, not least, the professional and personal support of family, friends and colleagues. Not everything has found a place in her suitcases. What she has definitely taken with her is her grandmother’s silver cutlery and many fond memories of her time in Rostock. Will Toni return to her hometown permanently at some point? ‘Time will tell’, she says with a dreamy smile.