President Akufo-Addo and Mulatu Teshome in a handshake
The Presidents of Ghana and Ethiopia have pledged commitment to strengthen ties between the two nations.
President Akufo-Addo and his Ethiopian counterpart, Mulatu Teshome, made the pledge on the sidelines of the just-ended African Union (AU) Summit in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa yesterday.
This was when President Akufo-Addo paid a courtesy call on President Teshome at the presidential palace in the heart of Addis Ababa.
The two leaders expressed satisfaction with the current state of the relationship between the two countries.
President Teshome, who welcomed President Akufo-Addo to the presidential palace, noted that the history of cordial relations between the two countries dates back to the days of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first President and Emperor Haile Selassie, the then Ethiopian monarch, who played an instrumental role in the decolonisation of Africa and strengthening of the Pan-African institutions.
According to him, “This encourages us to do more and also allows us to strengthen the bilateral relations between our two countries. We need to deepen the ties between Ghana and Ethiopia in the areas of trade, investment and education, and we need to visit each other often.”
President Teshome said “economic diplomacy is now the pillar of relations between countries.
He was hopeful under the Presidency of Nana Akufo-Addo, the bond of friendship and the ties of cooperation that exist between the two countries would be further strengthened.
The Ethiopian leader therefore stressed the need for the two countries to learn from each other and adopt best practices in order to create wealth and prosperity for their citizens.
On his part, President Akufo-Addo thanked his Ethiopian counterpart for the warm reception accorded him and his delegation.
He equally acknowledged the fact that Ghana’s relations with Ethiopia predates the post-independence era, recalling how several Ghanaians, who enlisted in the then Gold Coast Regiment of the Royal West African Frontier Force (British Colonial Force), fought side-by-side with Ethiopian Resistance Forces in World War II.
Acknowledging the significant economic growth rates chalked by Ethiopia, President Akufo-Addo also commended President Teshome for the rapid infrastructural development, stressing the belief that this would further spur on growth in Ethiopia.
Commitments
President Akufo-Addo also stressed the need for Ghana and Ethiopia to increase the volumes of trade between them and deepen cooperation in the area of agriculture and its modernisation.
On the issue of terrorism, President Akufo-Addo assured Teshome that in Ghana, the people of Ethiopia have a strong and steadfast friend.
He took the opportunity to express the appreciation of the peoples of Africa for the sacrifices the Ethiopian people, who are in the frontline of the fight against terrorism to guarantee the peace and security not just of their own country but the continent as a whole.
President Akufo-Addo thanked successive governments and the people of Ethiopia for hosting institutions of the African Union, formerly Organisation of African Unity (OAU) for the last 54 years.
He was confident that Africa would soon show concrete expression of its appreciation to Ethiopia for the gesture.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent