By Francis Quamina Farrier
THE recent state visit to Guyana by the Vice-President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency Mahamudu Bawumi, was in keeping with a promise made by the President of Ghana during a previous state visit. The Head of State of the Republic of Ghana, President Nana Akufo-Addo, paid a two-day state visit to Guyana in July 2018 to much acclaim by Guyanese. During his short visit, the Ghanaian president toured some of Guyana’s manufacturing companies and also held a meet-and-greet session with Guyanese, especially of African heritage, at the Guyana Marriott Hotel in Georgetown. Many issues of mutual interest were raised by those in attendance, principally about closer relations between Africans on the continent and those in the diaspora, including Guyana. Jet aircraft flights by airline companies, directly from the Caribbean to Africa, could take just about three hours with much cheaper airline tickets than from North America and Europe. Current journeys from North America and Europe take eight and more hours to Ghana, South Africa and other countries in Africa. That situation was central in the discussion with the Ghanaian president and those at the meet-and-greet session back in 2018.

At that Ghanaian presidential state visit, I had already visited Ghana four times and had written a few articles about the country, especially the growing relationship between Guyana and Ghana. My Ghana visits have covered about 60 percent of the country; that includes almost all of the coastline and deep into the hinterland, including cities such as Ada, Ho, Kumasi, Tachiman, Tamale and Teshia, as well as some small rural communities. While on one hinterland river journey by speedboat, I felt as though I was travelling on the Pomeroon River in Region Two, Guyana. Even the vegetation on the banks of that river was similar to those along many river banks in Guyana. Since I have traversed so much of Guyana’s deep hinterland for over 70 years, it was pretty easy for me to recognise those similarities and enjoy them.

Politics in Ghana
 One of my previous articles had the headline, “Why I like the new President of Ghana.” In that article, I was looking at that Ghanaian politician’s human side and actions. I pointed out that when Nana Akufo-Addo did not win the December 2012 presidential elections – which in fact was by a very narrow margin, and which he claimed to have been cheated – he took a step which is not generally taken by politicians, especially in (so called) third world countries. Nana Akufo-Addo instructed his party members and supporters not to demonstrate or engage in any public protests. Instead, he decided to take the matter to court for arbitration. That turned out to be unsuccessful for him. Gallant in defeat, his official statement on that judicial decision was, “I do not agree with the decision of the court, but I will abide with it.” Although Nana Akufo-Addo probably felt the pain of the loss of the presidency at that time, he met with the victor, His Excellency President John Mehama and had cordial discussions. It must be mentioned that Ghana has a national objective to be regarded as one of the most peaceful countries in Africa, and most Ghanaians strive to upkeep that objective. Not that Ghanaians do not have heated political arguments. While I was on a three-hour-long bus trip within the country, a political debate erupted. It was in one of the languages of Ghana which, of course, I do not know. However, because of the temper of those arguing and hearing the names of Ghanaian politicians constantly mentioned, I realised what the arguing was all about – politics and politicians. It got to the point when even the driver of the bus became involved in the arguing and was waving his arms all about; at times, neither of his hands was on the steering wheel. I became petrified. Then, a woman who was seated directly in front of me shouted in her language, what could only have been an order to “Stop the damn nonsense before this bus crash.”  Because immediately, everyone became quiet, and the rest of the journey, extremely quiet and pleasant. Did the reputation of the country as the most peaceful country in Africa kick in? Seems most likely.

Over the past weekend, the Vice-President of that West African country, His Excellency Dr Mahamudu Bawumi, paid a three-day official state visit to Guyana which proves that the two countries are continuing to work together for their mutual benefit. The private sector of that African country has expressed an interest in assisting Guyana’s private sector in several areas including infrastructure, oil and gas, tourism and agriculture, as stated by the Chairman of Ghana’s Investment Promotion Centre Governing Board, Alex Dadey.

A few years ago, I wrote an article pointing out the growing closeness of the two countries as they engage with bilateral projects. Both Guyana and Ghana are located just north of the equator, on opposite sides of the Atlantic ocean. They share some bilateral projects such as oil and gas, gold and agricultural products, among others. While Guyana continues to struggle to develop its tourism industry, Ghana struck ‘gold’ as it were, during their “YEAR OF RETURN” in 2019. Not only did the regular tourists turn up and enter that “Door of Return,” but many international celebrities, including American Steve Harvey.

Guyana with 83,000 square miles in size, is slightly smaller than Ghana, which is 95,000 square miles. However, Ghana, with a population of 30 million is much more populated than Guyana, with under a million people in residence. While Guyana’s coastland is below sea level at high tide, this is not so in Ghana. On my visits, I particularly looked at the level of sections of Ghana’s coastlands with the Atlantic Ocean- all of which I have observed are well above the ocean level, which forms part of the boundaries of both countries. In the case of Ghana, the Atlantic is at its southern side, while it is at the northern coast of Guyana.

 Respect for Elders
Ghana has a culture of respect and love for elders that is immediately noted by the visitor from abroad. An elderly person is always offered assistance by a younger person when assistance is observed to be needed. There was the occasion when I was waiting to cross a very busy street in Accra, the capital. After about three minutes, a youngster, probably in his late teens, left what he was doing, went to the middle of the street and brought traffic to a stop with arms raised. “Come, Daddy,” he instructed me. I gave him a gentle tap on the shoulder and said, “Thanks very much,” as I hurried to the other side of the street. If you plan to visit Ghana after the COVID is over, just go for it, especially if you are of a certain age.