Two envoys present credentials

Two envoys accredited to Ghana, the Norwegean Ambassador, Mr Gunnar Andreas Holm and Zambia’s High Commissioner, Mr Rayford Mbulu, on Wednesday presented their credentials to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Flagstaff House in Accra.

The first to present his letters of credence was Mr Holm, during which ceremony the two countries expressed a common resolve to push forward the agenda for reforms in the United Nations (UN) to ensure more equity and fairness within the international body.

President Akufo-Addo said: “An institution that was set up some 70 years ago to confront the peculiar circumstances of a post-war era cannot be the same institution in its arrangements today”, stressing the need for reforms.

The President said it was time for electoral reforms to be undertaken in “the UN, noting that Africa was not present at the formation of that organisation.”

But thankfully, Africa has become a major stakeholder within the UN, adding, however, that its presence needed recognition and the relevant changes.

He said it was regrettable that even though Africa was now an integral part of the UN, the arrangements that existed within the UN today, did not accommodate the presence of Africa.

The President said the need for reforms in the UN, especially its Security Council, had become strong and was growing stronger by the day.

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Norway

On Norway, President Akufo-Addo said the country had been applauded the world over for the judicious and intelligent manner in which it had managed its natural resources.

He said that country had succeeded in managing its resources in a manner that had brought greater benefits to its entire people.

Mr Holm in his response said his country was a candidate for the non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for 2021-22 and expressed the hope that Ghana would lend her support.

Mr Holm said Norway, per its national policy, was moving away from doling out aid to other countries and that it was coincidentally befitting that the Government of Ghana, under President Akufo-Addo, had also taken the path of non-dependency on aid.

He said there were some 40 Norwegian companies operating in Ghana, some being joint businesses between Norwegians and Ghanaians, adding that bilateral relations between the two countries, focused on capacity building in environment, resource and revenue management.

He added that under an ‘oil for Development’ programme that had been running for the past eight years, Norway was supporting Ghana in oil and gas resource management.

Mr Holm said Ghana and Norway were both blessed with abundant natural resources and that it was best that the two countries shared experiences and collaborated in the management of those resources.

He praised President Akufo-Addo, for his advocacy role as a co-chair with Norway in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), stressing that there was much support for advocacy.

Zambia

For his part, the Zambian High Commissioner in Accra, said his main focus in Ghana was to ensure the existence of cordial relations between the two countries, as well as trade and investments between the two.

Mr Mbulu also said Zambia needed to draw lessons from Ghana in terms of deriving benefits from minerals since Ghana had done well in the gold sector.

“Cassava value chain is another area we need to learn from Ghana in terms of value addition. Promotion of tourism and art are equally of paramount importance to us. So we have a lot to learn from Ghana,” he added.

President Akufo-Addo on the other hand said that the common bond that existed between the two countries in the days of the struggle for independence on the continent made it imperative for much closer collaboration between the two countries.

He said the only way both countries could honour the memories of its leaders, such as Dr Kwame Nkrumah and Dr Kenneth Kaunda, was to ensure that mutual steps were taken to ensure that the people of the two countries progressed and prospered.

He, therefore, pledged Ghana’s commitment to partner with Zambia in the quest for mutual development and prosperity.