Ghana and Kenya have signed eight agreements as part of efforts to strengthen the cooperation between the two countries.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the visiting Kenyan President, William Ruto, supervised the signing of these agreements yesterday.
The eight different Memoranda of Understandings (MoUs) were signed, with four of them signed at the Jubilee House in Accra, when President Akufo-Addo played host to President Ruto, who is in the country on a three-day state visit.
The four MoUs signed at the Jubilee House were in the areas of education, tourism, diplomacy, and defence cooperation.
The other four signed at the Ghana-Kenya business forum held at the Kempinski Gold Coast Hotel in Accra were on investment promotion, manufacturing, industry, and governance.
President Akufo-Addo said the purpose of the visit by the Kenyan President was to reaffirm the ties of cooperation and the bonds of friendship that the two countries have had with each other.
The President of Ghana stated that their relationship was shaped during colonial times, during the common struggles of their peoples to break free from imperialism and colonialism.
“Ghana and Kenya established diplomatic relations shortly after Kenya gained her independence in 1963 and has been an active participant in regional and international fora collaborating on mutual issues such as peacekeeping, regional integration and sustainable development.”
“We supported each other at various international platforms including within the United Nations, the African Union and the Commonwealth advocating for common positions on issues such as peace and security, climate change and sustainable development. Overall, these relationships have been characterised by mutual respect, cooperation and a shared commitment to advancing the interest of our respective nations and the African continent as a whole,” he said.
Kenyan President Ruto announced that the two countries’ delegations had discussed elevating their dedicated mechanism for bilateral relations from a joint commission for cooperation to a bi-national commission before their visit.
“We have noted this development as a significant milestone in the evolution of our diplomatic ties, which stand on a warm and cordial dynamic and impactful historic collaboration. We’ve also agreed that the inaugural session of the Bi- national commission would provide us with an opportunity to reaffirm our friendship, deepen our bilateral ties, and strengthen the normal course of African economic integration as espoused by our Africa Union Agenda 2063,” he noted.
He added that the Pan African independent movement inspired many African countries that followed in Ghana’s independence and it was in this same capacity that AfCFTA headquartered in Ghana was a leading force in economic integration and development of 55 countries within eight regions and economic communities on the continent.
According to him, the free movement of people between Ghana and Kenya had contributed immensely to trade, investment and tourism, stressing that
“In this respect, His Excellency and I noted that trade between Kenya and Ghana is growing in 2022 for example, Kenya’s imports to Ghana were valued at 10. 4 million US dollars, and imports were valued at 4.8 million US dollars.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
