President Akufo-Addo
President Akufo-Addo flew out of the country to Sierra Leone on Wednesday to begin the third leg of his tour of countries within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
He returned later in the evening with good news; Ghana and Sierra Leone have agreed to ratify the agreement for co-operation between the two countries. This is to provide the legal framework for addressing trade and investment concerns between them.
Director of communications at the presidency, Eugene Arhin, indicated that despite the good relations that exist between the two countries, there was no framework for co-operation to guide these relations.
That, he said, was hampering the deepening of bilateral ties and co-operation between them.
It was in this vein that President Akufo-Addo gave the assurance during his visit to that country thus, “I will pursue this matter with my parliament to ensure the ratification of this Agreement.”
The agreement was said to have been signed between the two countries on December 19, 2013 but is yet to be ratified.
Key Decisions
It was therefore the belief of Ghana’s leader that “co-operation in the development of our agriculture, education, science and technology, infrastructure, health, energy and culture, and the co-ordination of the exploitation of our mutual natural resources, such as bauxite, iron ore, diamonds and gold, would be of immense benefit to our two countries.”
In addition to intensifying the links between Ghanaian and Sierra Leonean enterprises, the president stressed the need to hasten the process of regional integration, saying, “For a region that has made the choice of pursuing integration, we have not done much as we should have in liberalizing and encouraging trade amongst member countries.”
Commendation
President Akufo-Addo also commended his Sierra Leonean counterpart, Ernest Bai Koroma, for the efforts he has made in restoring law and order, fostering a spirit of national reconciliation amongst the people, and the strong leadership he has exhibited in restoring macroeconomic stability since assuming the reins of government in 2007.
“In 2013 for example, the GDP growth rate reached a record, all-time high of 20.70%. In 2014 and 2015, in the face of two major shocks, i.e. the Ebola virus outbreak and the collapse of iron prices, Sierra Leone’s economy was shaken. Growth rates slumped dramatically,” he noted.
However, according to President Akufo-Addo, “With prudent economic policies, spurred on by new investments in mining, agriculture and fisheries, economic growth has resumed, with GDP growth projected at 5.4% in 2016. Hopefully, this growth path will endure.”
It was his desire for “Ghana and Sierra Leone to search continually for ways to co-operate, irrespective of who is at the helm of office of our respective countries. I have no doubt, that, together, we can forge a new, strong partnership for cooperation between our two nations for the mutual benefit of our two peoples.”
Good Wishes
With the Sierra Leonean people going to the polls in March 2018 to elect a new leader, President Akufo-Addo expressed the hope that the process would be enhanced to the admiration of all in the sub-region and beyond by the quality of the arrangements for the next electoral contest and by the quality of the democratic transition which Sierra Leone is about to witness.
He wished his colleague president and the Sierra Leonean people Godspeed.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent