Mahama receives Letters of Credence from five new ambassadors
President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday received Letters of Credence from five newly appointed ambassadors at the Presidency in Accra, reaffirming Ghana’s commitment to fostering strong bilateral ties with nations across the globe.
Letters of Credence are formal diplomatic documents presented by heads of mission-designate, confirming their nomination by their respective governments to represent them in Ghana.
The five new envoys who presented their credentials and the Letters of Recall of their predecessors were: Mr. Bul Quoc Hung, Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam; Mr. Athanasios B. Kotsionis, Ambassador of Greece; Mr. Lincoln G. Downer, High Commissioner of Jamaica; Mr. Antit Mohsen, Ambassador of Tunisia; and Mr. Edouard Nduwimana, Ambassador of Burundi.
President Mahama welcomed each envoy with warm words and encouraged them to strengthen the bonds of cooperation between Ghana and their home countries.
In his remarks to the Vietnamese ambassador, President Mahama expressed optimism about future collaboration. “He said Ghana had been following the progress of Vietnam in terms of economic development and that he thinks that Vietnam was rapidly transforming its economy.” He added, “He said Mr Bul was coming to Accra at a time when the Government of Ghana was introducing a 24-Hour Economy Policy and that they were also implementing a reset agenda for both their governance and economy.”
Mr. Bul called for stronger ties between the two nations. “Mr Bul called for the deepening of Vietnam-Ghana relation, and that he looks forward to receiving the kind support from the President and the Government and People of Ghana.”
Welcoming Mr. Athanasios Kotsionis of Greece, President Mahama reflected on the long-standing diplomatic relations between the two countries. “President Mahama said Ghana-Greece relations had been long standing, even though economic relations were on the low side, stating that the figures show 31 million dollars of imports from Greece to Ghana and 17 million dollars of exports from Ghana to Greece, and he was sure that they could work together to build that up.” He highlighted the contribution of Greek investors and institutions such as the Tsakos Foundation and the Greek School in Tema.
Mr. Kotsionis assured the President of his commitment to advancing bilateral cooperation. “Mr Kotsionis said during his tenure, he would ensure the deepening of cooperation between the nations.”
In welcoming Mr. Lincoln G. Downer, President Mahama acknowledged the deep historical ties between Ghana and Jamaica, while noting the absence of resident diplomatic missions in Accra and Kingston. “He said unfortunately, despite the historic relations between Ghana and Jamaica, they two countries still do not have missions in their respective capitals.” He praised efforts to strengthen cultural ties, including the Year of Return and Beyond the Return initiatives. “He reiterated the need to develop stronger economic relations between their two countries and for the revival of the Permanent Joint Commission for Cooperation.”
President Mahama also encouraged Jamaican investors to explore opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). “The President also extended an invitation to Jamaican businesspeople to take the advantages of the African Continental Free Trade Area, that allows African countries to trade duty-free, tariff-free with each other.”
Mr. Downer outlined Jamaica’s strategic interest in strengthening ties with Ghana. “We have the largest logistics hub in the Caribbean, we have opportunities for Ghanaian investors in business process outsourcing, in logistics, in manufacturing, in ICT,” he said. “Our stock exchange was the best performing one in the world in 2015 and 2018 and we have already signed an MOU with the Ghana Stock Exchange.”
In separate discussions with the ambassadors of Tunisia and Burundi, President Mahama highlighted Ghana’s ambitions within the African Union. “President Mahama informed the two new African envoys – Mr Antit Mohsen of Tunisia and Mr Edouard Nduwimana of Burundi, that Ghana would be seeking their support for the African Union (AU) Chair, when the position becomes vacant.”
He added, “Ghana is currently the Second Vice-Chair of the African Union and we’ll be contacting your Presidents in the near future because we are interested in the Chairmanship of the AU when it next becomes available because it’s geographically coming to West Africa.”
The ceremony marked a renewed commitment to diplomacy and international cooperation, as Ghana continues to strengthen ties with nations from every continent.