Ghana and Ethiopia have pledged to work towards strengthening the ties of co-operation that exist between them, after the Presidents of the two countries expressed satisfaction with the current state of the relations between them.
This was the outcome of a courtesy call paid on the President of Ethiopia, His Excellency Mulatu Teshome, by the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Tuesday, July 4, 2017, on the side-lines of the 29th Africa Union Summit, currently on-going in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Welcoming President Akufo-Addo to the presidential palace, President Mulatu Teshome noted that the history of cordial relations between the two countries dates back several years, with the first two leaders of Ghana and Ethiopia, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and Emperor Haile Selassie respectively, playing an instrumental role in the decolonisation of Africa and the strengthening of the Pan-African institutions.
This history, according to the Ethiopian President, “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 Mulatu Teshome noted that “economic diplomacy is now the pillar of relations between countries”, and was hopeful that under his and the Presidency of Nana Akufo-Addo, the bonds of friendship and the ties of co-operation that exist between the two countries will be strengthened even further.
It was of the utmost importance that the two countries, President Teshome added, learn from each other and adopt best practices from their two countries in order to create wealth and prosperity for their peoples.
On his part, President Akufo-Addo thanked his Ethiopian counterpart for the welcome accorded to him and his delegation.
He noted that Ghana’s relations with Ethiopia predates the post-independence era, as many 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.
Whilst acknowledging the significant economic growth rates chalked by Ethiopia, President Akufo-Addo also commended President Teshome for the rapid infrastructural development taking place in that country, adding that this would spur on growth even further in Ethiopia.
The two countries, President Akufo-Addo said, would have to increase the volumes of trade between them, and also deepen co-operation in the area of agriculture and its modernisation.
Touching on the fight against terrorism, President Akufo-Addo assured President Teshome that in Ghana, the people of Ethiopia have a strong and steadfast friend.
He expressed the appreciation of the peoples of Africa for the sacrifices the Ethiopian people, who are in the frontline of the fight against terrorism, are making to guarantee the peace and security not just of their own country, but the continent as a whole.
In concluding, President Akufo-Addo thanked successive governments and the people of Ethiopia for hosting of the institutions of the African Union (formerly Organisation of African Unity) for the last 54 years.
He was confident that Africa would soon show concrete expression of its appreciation to Ethiopia for this gesture.