The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, on Tuesday, 6th July, 2021 received Open Letters of H.E. Harriet Thompson, High Commissioner-Designate of the United Kingdom (UK) to Ghana in Accra. H.E. Thompson has to her credit a varied career, working in different areas of the British Government, leading policy and programmes across trade, energy, climate change, amongst others.
The High Commissioner-Designate is the first female High Commissioner of the UK to Ghana.
Ghana and the UK are natural allies due to the long-standing historical ties, the bilateral relations have witnessed active engagements and growth over the years.
The recent visits of Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, in November 2018, Rt. Hon. James Duddridge MP, Minister for Africa at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the United Kingdom, in January 2021, Mr. James Heappey, UK Minister for Armed Forces in February 2021 and the visit of Rt. Hon. Priti Patel, UK’s Secretary of State for the Home Department in June, 2021, have raised the level of bilateral relations between the two countries to a higher pedestal.
The UK immense contribution towards the socio-economic development of Ghana, underscore the commendable work of the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), which has been working closely with Government to reduce Ghana’s reliance on UK aid, by developing domestic resource mobilisation capacity, strengthening public financial management and improving management of the economy.
It is also helping over 900,000 poor and vulnerable Ghanaians through different social interventions to lead safer, healthier and more prosperous lives; and
• supporting Ghana’s industrialisation and economic development, which are both critical to strengthening Ghana’s economic resilience and unlocking its ambition of a Ghana Beyond Aid.
Ghana’s Foreign minister briefed the High Commissioner-designate on the economic agenda of the Government, which is predicated on value-addition, reducing dependence on imports, empowering the private sector, with a view to generating jobs for the youth to improve their living standards and request for UK’s support in that regard.
She indicated that Ghana remains one of the most attractive destinations on the continent for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), and that the commencement of trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), is expected to boost economic growth of the continent with Ghana as a major beneficiary. In that regard, urged the British envoy to encourage more British investors to consider doing business in Ghana.
Honourable Shirley Ayorkor told the High Commissioner-Designate that Ghana is currently implementing the Ghana COVID-19 Alleviation and Revitalisation of Enterprise Support (CARES) initiative, a GHȻ100 billion post COVID-19 recovery programme, which is intended to stabilise, revitalise and transform Ghana’s economy to create jobs and ensure prosperity for Ghanaians;
She further disclosed that under the CARES programme, Government has begun rolling out eight interventions in the areas of health, agriculture, tourism, trade, digitization, science and technology, housing and financial services, and Add that by third quarter of 2021, Government will establish a new Development Bank to provide long-term financing to the private sector.
The signing of the Interim Trade Partnership Agreement between Ghana and the UK on 2nd March this year is an indication that Ghana is keen on increased trade with UK.
The activities of pirates along the Gulf of Guinea region is a major security concern to countries located in the zone and welcome increased British involvement in the areas of intelligence sharing and provision of logistics to help curb the menace Honourable Ayorkor Botchwey asserted.
She expressed appreciation to the UK for supporting Ghana’s bid to the UN Security Council and affirmed Ghana’s commitment to cooperating with the UK and other like-minded countries to strengthen the capacity and role of the United Nations in maintaining international peace and security.
COVID-19
Honourable Ayorkor Botchwey highlighted Government’s urgent priority to have increased supply of the Astra Zeneca vaccines and called for the UK to support Ghana in accessing them.
She concluded by assuring the High Commissioner-Designate of the determination of the Government of Ghana to work assiduously to deepen bilateral cooperation between Ghana and UK for the mutual benefit of our peoples; and the unalloyed support by Ghanaian authorities to guarantee her a successful tour of duty in Ghana.
