News

President Nana Akufo-Addo has revealed that close co-operation between Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire will be facilitated by a new initiative dubbed “An Agreement For a Strategic Partnership”, that will be signed by the two countries.

This agreement, according to President Akufo-Addo, will bind Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire “in even closer intimacy and go beyond the bounds of the concept of the Permanent Joint Commission, which is the conventional tool for co-operation.”

The governments of Ghana and Burkina Faso have pledged to work towards strengthening the ties of co-operation that exist between them, after the Presidents of the two countries expressed satisfaction with the current state of the relations between them.

In a joint communiqué issued at the end of the 2-day official visit to Burkina Faso by President Akufo-Addo, it was resolved that the two countries reinforce their co-operation in the areas of railway transport, road transport, agriculture, water, security, trade, works and housing and energy.

Government is committed to the passage of the Right to Information (RTI) Bill and that before the end of this year, it will be passed into Law, the Information Minister, Mr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid has said.

Speaking at this year’s World Press Freedom Day at the Ghana International Press Centre in Accra on Wednesday, Mr Hamid said the bill will be placed before Parliament when it resumes sitting.

President Nana Akufo-Addo is advocating a 24-hour opening of the Ghana and Togo borders in a bid which he said will boost trade and tourism between the countries.

He said the opening of the borders will give true meaning to the ECOWAS Protocols on Free Movement of Goods and Persons and will spur on progress and prosperity for both nationals.

The President said it will ensure that the peoples of the two nations reap the economic benefits thereof.

Labour unions including the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) have questioned Government’s claim that it has saved millions of cedis by cleaning the public payroll and removing ghost names.

Their scepticism follows complaints by some of their members whose names have been mistakenly removed from the payroll.

The GMA, for instance, say the exercise has been riddled with errors.

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Tuesday left Ghana for Togo as part of a series of visits to Ghana’s three neighouring countries this week.

A statement issued by Mr Eugene Arhin, Director of Communications at the presidency, said the visit was to afford the President the opportunity to formally introduce himself as the new Ghanaian leader to the governments and people of the neighbouring countries.

The visit is also to enable the President explore and deepen bilateral relations with them, and reiterate Ghana’s full commitment to the ECOWAS project.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has assured the business community of higher returns on their investments in Ghana than anywhere in the West Africa sub-region.

The Ministry has therefore urged prospective investors, especially from Latvia, to consider Ghana as the gateway to a wider West African markets of over 300 million people.

The political and micro-economic stability were all available for the benefit of anyone seeking to do business in Ghana, Mr Edwin Adjei, Acting Chief Director of the Foreign Ministry noted.

The former Member of Parliament for Asunafo South Constituency, George Boakye, has said that his 37-year-old daughter tricked him into taking her to London under the pretext of going to see her uncle, but disappeared on their arrival in the UK.

According to him, although he knew he was being irresponsible by not reporting his daughter’s disappearance once he couldn’t find her, he feared a report to security officials would have her incarcerated.

The former MP is among 4 current legislators who have been banned from entering the UK over allegations of visa fraud.

The American Ambassador to Ghana, Mr. Robert Jackson, has revealed that his country intends to invest considerable resources in the agriculture and health sectors in Ghana.

He made the declaration during a working visit to the Brong Ahafo Region on Tuesday.
The US Ambassador was hosted by the Regional Minister, Mr. Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh.