President Akufo-Addo speaking in Brussels
President Akufo-Addo has succeeded in getting the European Union (EU) to remove Ghana from its list of countries blacklisted for money laundering.
It follows a two-day working visit to Brussels, Belgium, last week, and the EU has agreed to get Ghana off the list next month.
At a meeting between him and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, as well as at the European Commission, the EU acknowledged the efforts Ghana has made in implementing the action plan of the International Country Risk Guide (ICRG) in record time.
The commission, thus, congratulated Ghana on the reforms pursued, as well as the sustainable, robust systems deployed towards being taken off the list.
The European Commission is therefore set to announce the decision to remove Ghana from the list of countries that are deficient in Anti Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing.
It is expected that the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog, will in June 2021 announce that Ghana has been taken off its list of high risk, third-world countries with strategic deficiencies in Anti-Money Laundering and Countering of Terrorism Financing.
Again, at the meeting with the Vice President of the European Commission, Valdis Dombrovskis, the commission indicated the selection of Ghana as a possible manufacturing hub for COVID-19 vaccines in Africa.
This, according to the commission, follows the initiatives already taken by the Akufo-Addo government towards the domestic manufacturing of vaccines.
The taskforce teams from the EU and Ghana will meet shortly to discuss modalities towards the realisation of this initiative, which, in principle, could be supported by the European Investment Bank (EIB).
As has been announced already, President Akufo-Addo has also secured one hundred and seventy million euros (€170 million) from EIB for the establishment of the Development Bank, Ghana. The new national bank will assist in the revitalisation of the economy, as well as see to the rapid recovery of the country from the ravages of COVID-19.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu