Regessa Kefeale Ere (right), Ethiopian Ambassador to Ghana, presenting his letter of credence to President Akufo-Addo at the Flagstaff House
President Akufo-Addo yesterday received letters of credence from six ambassadors from their respective countries to Ghana.
They are from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Khalifa Yousif Mohamed Qadheed Alzaabi; Ethiopia, Regessa Kafeale Ere; Slovakia, Peter Holasek; Poland, Andrzej Dycha; Rwanda, Stanislas Kamanzi and Singapore, Hawazi Bin Daipi.
Commitment
President Akufo-Addo stressed Ghana’s commitment to enhancing the bilateral relations between Ghana and the respective countries for optimal benefit for both sides of the divide.
He then talked on the need for strategic partnerships within the context of a globalised world where interdependence is key to the progress of any nation.
To that end, he said Ghana would continue to play her defined roles within the comity of nations with regards to making the required contributions to international groupings and assignments.
President Akufo-Addo welcomed them to Ghana, whilst wishing them well during their duty tour of the country, hoping that they would experience and enjoy the warmth of the much talked-about Ghanaian hospitality.
Qadheed Alzaabi, Ambassador of United Arab Emirates to Ghana
Commendation
On his part, the ambassador of Slovakia, Peter Holasek, could not hide his joy coming to Ghana for the simple reason that his countrymen admire Ghana for the fact that it continues to enjoy a stable and democratic government following presidential and legislative elections.
“Let me, therefore, highlight that Ghana stands as an example on the African continent, something that Slovakia highly values,” he said.
Peter Holasek was equally impressed about the role Ghana was playing in regional security issues, taking into consideration the importance of security and stability in economic development. He said, “Your government’s approach to governance with an emphasis on efficiency, transparency, accountability, democratic and civilian oversight, co-ordination and professionalism is exemplary.”
Support
As permanent co-chair of the United Nations Group of Friends of Security Sector Reforms, Peter Holasek stated that Slovakia was ready to support Ghana’s process of building an effective and efficient security and justice services by security sector institutions within a framework of democratic governance without discrimination and with full respect for human rights and rule of law.
The Slovakia ambassador credited Ghana for having considerable assets evident in its natural resources, youthful population and well-trained expertise for which reason he promised to promote trade between the two countries.
Trade
The Singaporean envoy, Hawazi Daipi, spoke highly of Ghana as one of Singapore’s top 10 trading partners within the sub-Saharan Africa.
In 2016, he said Ghana was Singapore’s fourth largest trading partner in the region with bilateral trade of more than S$271 million.
As a sign of a deepening economic co-operation with Ghana, Hawazi Daipi indicated that International Enterprise of Singapore established its second overseas centre within the sub-Saharan Africa in Accra in 2013. He added that “there is growing interest from Singapore companies to do business in Ghana.”
“For instance, Perennial Real Estate and Shangi-La embarked on a US$250 million joint venture to develop an integrated mixed-use complex in Accra which would comprise residential towers, an office tower, a shopping mall, service apartments and a hotel,” he disclosed.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent