Mr Edward Boateng welcomes Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchway at the Beijing International Airport
GHANA’S FOREIGN Affairs and Regional Integration Minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, is leading a high-level government delegation to the ‘Forum for China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Coordinators Meeting’ in Beijing.
Ms Botchway arrived on Saturday from Cairo, Egypt, where she went to represent President Akufo-Addo at the opening ceremony of the AFCON tournament. Besides, she interacted with Egyptian officials on other matters of mutual interest.
She informed the Egyptian authorities of the President’s intended visit to Cairo to watch the Ghana Black Stars opening match with their counterparts from Benin to motivate the national football team.
The minister was received on arrival by Ghana’s Ambassador to China, Edward Boateng, and officials of the embassy at the Beijing International Airport.
The two-day high-level FOCAC meeting starts today.
Ms Botchway is also scheduled to meet senior Chinese government officials including Vice-President Wang Qishan and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
The FOCAC was established to strengthen ties between African countries and China. The Chinese government, in 2000, initiated FOCAC in order to nurture, consolidate and broaden relations between China and Africa.
It has provided a unique diplomatic mechanism to promote dialogue between China and Africa, and at the same time it has facilitated the development of a common political and economic agenda for the benefit of the parties.
Under FOCAC, leaders of the continent have the opportunity to interact with China’s political leaders to chart a partnership, build on economic prosperity and development.
The FOCAC Coordinators’ Meeting, therefore, presents a unique platform to promote sustained dialogue on economic cooperation.
China has progressively allocated substantial amounts of money starting from $5 billion, $10 billion, $30 billion and more at the Summit of FOCAC in Johannesburg; it doled out $60 billion for socio-economic development with emphasis on infrastructure.
Coordinators’ Meeting is an important forum which provides a unique platform to both Chinese and Africans to discuss and take stock of the implementation status of the outcomes of the FOCAC, Ms Botchway said.
The minister indicated that the meeting also provides an additional opportunity to directly engage the relevant Chinese authorities regarding the modalities for the disbursement of the FOCAC funds.
Records at the Ministry of Commerce of China indicate that as of March 2018, $44.38 billion of the $60 billion funding support that China pledged to Africa had been disbursed or arranged.
Ghana is expected to get about $4 billion for infrastructural development including railways, roads as captured in the Sinohydro deal.
Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah; a deputy Attorney General, Godfried Yeboah Dame as well a deputy Minister of Finance, Charles Adu-Boahen, are also in China to finalise the negotiation for the disbursement of the Sinohydro deal for infrastructural development.
They are accompanied by officials of the Finance Ministry and other senior government officials.
From Fortune Alimi, Beijing, China