Sun Baohong (left), Nii Lante Vanderpuye (third right) launching the CGGA logo
The China Ghana Graduates Association (CGGA) was inaugurated on Tuesday at the Tang Palace Hotel in Accra to boost the relations between the two countries.
The CGGA, an alumni association for Ghanaian students, who have studied in China, would also improve the economic and cultural ties between the two countries.
Speakers at the launch agreed that the adoption of Chinese values by Ghanaian students would help boost the country’s socio-economic development.
According to Sun Baohon, the Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, there are now more than 4,600 self-supporting Ghanaian students currently attending schools in China.
Their performance, she said, has impressed professors and officials in the country.
“The hard-working Ghanaian students with excellent academic performance are very popular among Chinese universities and colleges,” she said.
She said that the Chinese government has given an additional 500 students scholarships to study in the country as a result of their academic performance.
The envoy expressed confidence that many students, who have completed studies in China, would return to Ghana to make positive contributions.
“When they come back to Ghana, they turn to be the backbone in promoting Ghanaian social development and China-Ghana economic and trade cooperation,” she said.
Indeed, Ghana and China have many similarities. Both have a rich history and a myriad of ancient cultures. The two are also developing countries on the brink of major socio-economic development, she indicated.
President of the CGGA, Charles Mawuenyega, said increased cooperation with China would promote the adoption of Chinese values.
“At CGGA, we are convinced that the millennia-old culture of Ghana, coupled with the patriotism and commitment to hard work of the Chinese, are key values, which when embraced by Ghanaians, will help accelerate our socio-economic development and further deepen the ties of friendship with China,” he said.
He said that members of the CGGA would have more access to scholarships that will allow them to study in China.
The Chinese government, he added, has already agreed to increase scholarships granted to Ghanaian students.
CGGA members will also be part of a network of graduates with connections to employees in the Chinese Embassy in Ghana, the Confucius Institute at the University of Ghana, as well as organizations in China.
This network, Mawuenyega said, would provide Ghanaian graduates with high-ranking jobs.
Minister for Youth and Sports, Nii Lante Vanderpuye, in a speech, stressed the need to learn from China in order to preserve Ghanaian culture to become a main player in an increasingly interconnected global market.
He said over the weekend, he hosted an engagement ceremony between his niece and her Chinese fiancé which showed that such ties can be beneficial for both countries.
“We are getting closer,” he said. “Our families are getting knit together. And as such we need to explore each other’s strengths and opportunities so that we could take advantage of situations so we can advance our socio-economic course.”
He pointed out that Ghana, under the leadership of Dr Kwame Nkrumah, visited China.
According to Mr Vanderpuye, Dr Nkrumah’s early cooperation with China helped both countries in their stages of development, adding that current and future members of the CGGA would continue to boost bilateral relations.
“It is incumbent on us today to build on what our forefathers started and I’m happy that today we have wonderful young men and women in this country who have decided to bridge the gap closer,” he said.
BY Derek Maiolo & Melvin Tarlue