Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia
Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has assured the diplomatic community that the Akufo-Addo government will not do anything to jeopardize the 2020 general election to be held in December.
“The government is committed to ensuring that the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections will be conducted in a free, conducive and fair atmosphere in order to build on the gains the country has achieved over the years in its democratic dispensation,” he stressed.
The Vice-President made the comment yesterday when he chaired the Ghana-European Union Political Dialogue meeting which had officials of government, EU ambassadors to Ghana and some leadership of the European Union (EU) in attendance.
Apart from the general election, the Vice-President and the participants deliberated on matters involving Ghana and EU future partnership in the areas of trade and investment, security and multilateralism, growth and economic transformation, the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, digital economy, anti-money laundering/combating the financing of terrorism, and many others.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, reiterated the Vice-President’s point that Ghana’s 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections would be held in a transparent, free and fair manner.
“For a very long time, Ghana’s elections have been transparent, peaceful, free and fair, and this government is determined to ensure that that enviable record of accomplishment is maintained in this year’s elections.”
She said the EU remains the leading destination for Ghana’s exports, offering free access to the EU market through the framework of first, the Lome Convention followed by the Cotonou Agreement, and now the interim Economic Partnership Agreement and Ghana is committed to deepening the relationship.
“Our dialogue today is, therefore, not only to reaffirm the high premium we place on our relationship with the EU, but also to discuss ways and means to elevate it, going beyond our traditional development cooperation,” she said.
“We are, indeed, confident that within the ACP-EU framework and beyond, the EU will back the ongoing efforts by government to invest in human development, research, and innovation which are the cornerstones of a modern economy and an inclusive society,” she added.