President Akufo-Addo with Boris Johnson, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway and Jon Benjamin at the Jubilee House yesterday
The relationship between Ghana and the United Kingdom (UK) was given a major boost yesterday when the British Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Flagstaff House.
After hours of meeting behind closed doors, President Akufo-Addo and his guest, emerged beaming with smiles.
At a short press briefing, the president said, “I think it’s been a very good discussion; I’ve enjoyed it; I think he has too.”
According to him, “A lot of work is being done to make sure that the relations between us and Great Britain continue to be on an even field and that the areas for greater trade and cooperation, business cooperation… will improve.”
He continued, “At the end of the day, we are both concerned about what we can do to improve the lives of our various people and that is the main consideration.”
On his part, Mr Boris Johnson, who claimed the visit was his first time in the country, expressed delight in meeting the president.
As a former Mayor of London, he indicated, “We were fortunate beneficiaries of many Ghanaians who contributed massively to our society; we have several MPs in UK of Ghanaian extraction as you may know.
“We’ve had some great discussions about our historic relationship…we hope to have an even deeper friendship going forward; particularly, we want to make sure that British firms come here in greater numbers and greater strength to invest in Ghana and if I may say, so take advantage of the fantastic opportunities there are in this wonderful country.”
The British Foreign Secretary underscored, “It’s been great to spend time with you Mr President, to discuss matters of common interest, including lots of foreign policy and security questions where clearly we share a joint interest in ensuring the stability of the region which affects us in Europe as much as anybody else.
“It’s a huge pleasure to be able to congratulate you Mr President personally on your triumph…to see your government getting smoothly underway and to getting ready to meet all the challenges that I know the people of Ghana want you to lead.”
From Charles Takyi-Boadu, Flagstaff House