— visit expected to deepen relations between the two nations

TODAY, Guyana welcomes the State visit of President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who will remain in the jurisdiction until Wednesday, June 12.

The visit by President Akufo-Addo, who will be accompanied by a delegation, is expected to deepen and strengthen cordial relations with Guyana.

“We are confident that this visit will result in practical measures aimed at enhancing relations and cooperation between our two states, particularly in the fields of agriculture, culture, energy, environment, investment, petroleum production, private sector cooperation, tourism and transportation,” Guyana’s President, David Granger had said.
The two presidents are expected to visit specific locations in the country linked to the contribution of Africa, such as the 1763 Monument and the Non-Aligned Monument.
At the locations, they will be treated to a military parade.

Like President Granger, President Akufo-Addo is 75 years old; he was born on March 29, 1944, and took up office in January 2017 after obtaining 53.85 per cent of the total valid votes cast in Ghana’s national elections.

He is married to Rebecca, daughter of the Speaker of the Parliament of the Third Republic of Ghana, the late Justice J.H Griffiths-Randolph.

Together, they have five children, with five grandchildren and are both devout Church-going Christians.

GHANAIAN VISIONARY
He has been hailed as the ‘Ghanaian Visionary’ with the dream of seeing his people grow to be more confident in a nation which is prosperous, strong and home to a thriving democracy.

Guyana and Ghana have shared cordial relationships since May 14, 1979.
The country garners its revenue from petroleum, silver, gold, timber and bauxite and, like Guyana, has a geographical makeup of tropical forests and savannahs and a poly-ethnic, multi-religious society.

Currently, Guyana and Ghana are involved in a bilateral Air Services Agreement signed in 2018 between then Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Annette Ferguson and Ghana’s Minister of Aviation, Joseph Kofi Adda.

The agreement is aimed at promoting air transport connectivity and future collaboration in numerous areas such as oil and gas.

Just last month, a delegation from Ghana, headed by the Deputy Minister of Energy of Ghana, Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam, met with Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and other representatives of various state agencies.

Meanwhile, Guyana and Ghana continue to invest in their long-standing diplomatic relationship through the offices of the high commissioners.
On May 29, President David Granger accredited the new Ghanaian High Commissioner to Guyana, Professor Abene Pokua Adompim Busia.

The Ministry of the Presidency has noted that Guyana’s Independence movement was greatly influenced by the first President of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah.

GOOD RELATIONS
Guyana’s political leaders– former Presidents Dr. Cheddi Jagan and Forbes Burnham– have maintained good relations with Ghana and have both travelled to participate in festivities.
One of the sites President Akufo-Addo will visit while in Guyana is the Non-Aligned Monument.

In 1970, Guyana, Ghana and several other developing nations joined the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) which was established by President Nkrumah and the presidents of India, Indonesia, Yugoslavia and Egypt.

At the opening of the 1972 NAM conference held in Guyana for the first time, Guyana’s first President, Arthur Chung, unveiled the Non-Aligned Monument in honour of the founding fathers of NAM.

The Non- Aligned Monument, situated at the entrance facing Avenue of the Republic and borders Church Street to its north and North Road to its south, will be visited by President Granger and President Akufo-Addon today.

There are busts sculpted to the likeness of the founders of the Non-Aligned Movement, three of bronze and one of plastic and were sculpted in the countries from which the founder-leaders originated.

According to the Ministry of the Presidency, President Granger and many Guyanese historians have documented the contributions of Africans in Guyana, specifically highlighting the contributions of the Maroon people who originated from the Asante group who lived in modern-day Ghana.

Maroons were a part of the slave revolts in 1763-1764 in Berbice and 1823 in Demerara.
They deserted the plantations in such large numbers that their absence brought financial losses to white owners and eventually created their own villages and communities.

President Akufo-Addo and President Granger are also expected to visit the 1763 Monument site at the Square of the Revolution, south of the Botanical Gardens in Georgetown. They will also visit the Umana Yana and Banks DIH, among other places.
Ghana is located on the western coast of Africa and has a population of over 28 million people.

It gained Independence on March 6, 1957, from the United Kingdom and became a Republic on July 1, 1960.

“The Government and people of Guyana welcome President Akufo-Addo to this great nation. We are honoured to have you. May this State visit be a most encouraging and ambitious indicator of the next 40 years of relations between our two countries. Welcome!” the Ministry of the Presidency said in a message.