Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia accompanying President Akufo-Addo from the airport after the arrival of the President from Equatorial Guinea
President Akufo-Addo ended his three-day official visit to Equatorial Guinea yesterday.
He signed a number of Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with his Equatorial Guinean counterpart, Teodoro Obieng Nguema Mbasogo aimed at developing their respective countries.
Agreements
In the area of maritime transport, Ghana proposed the establishment of a shipping link between the two countries using the ‘Tema-Port Harcourt-Douala-Malabo’ route to boost trade and commercial activities between West and Central Africa.
Following further deliberations, both countries subsequently signed two agreements namely, ‘the waiver of visa requirements for citizens of both countries holding Diplomatic, Official and Service Passports’ and ‘Heads of Agreement’ on the supply of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) and support regarding import infrastructure.
Both heads of state expressed their support for global and African initiatives for the prevention of and peaceful settlement of conflicts, respect for the Charters of the United Nations (UN) and the African Union (AU), independence and sovereignty of states, as well as non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries.
Director of Communications at the presidency, Eugene Arhin, indicated that President Akufo-Addo and President Obiang Mbasogo also expressed concern about the resurgence of tension on the African continent, and agreed on the urgent need to combat the growing threat of terrorism.
“They condemned recent terrorist attacks in Burkina Faso, Spain and Iceland, and regretted the loss of human lives in Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo and other parts of the world,” Mr Arhin said.
According to him, the pair also expressed their desire to achieve regional integration through the Africa Union (AU) Agenda to achieve a Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA), which is aimed at boosting intra-African trade.
President Akufo-Addo congratulated his Equatorial Guinean counterpart on the election of that country as a Non-Permanent Member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the period 2018-2019.
Touching on UN reforms, the two leaders agreed that African countries should support the Ezulwuni Consensus and expand the representation of African countries in the categories of Permanent and Non-Permanent Members of the UN Security Council, with the purpose of making it more efficient, legitimate and representative to reflect the realities of the world order today.
During the visit, President Akufo-Addo toured infrastructure and energy development projects in the city of Malabo, and at the end of it all, he extended an invitation to President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo to visit Ghana.
President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo accepted the invitation, which would be communicated through the diplomatic channels.
Meetings
Discussions between the two presidents were said to have been held in a cordial atmosphere, as the two leaders examined issues bordering on bilateral, regional and international cooperation, and reaffirmed their commitment to work hand-in-hand to strengthen the existing cooperation for the mutual benefit of their peoples.
Addressing internal issues in their respective countries, President Obiang Mbasogo congratulated President Akufo-Addo on his decisive victory in the election of 2016.
The Ghanaian leader, on his part, congratulated his counterpart on the tremendous development that has taken place in his country.
Expressing satisfaction at the level of cooperation between the two countries, the two heads of state mandated their respective Ministers of Foreign Affairs to reactivate the Permanent Joint Commission for Cooperation (PJCC) between Equatorial Guinea and Ghana – which serves as the framework to promote cooperation in the areas of oil and gas, energy, agriculture, food security, mineral resources, maritime transport, civil aviation, trade, defence and security, education, health, among others.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent