Ukraine Strengthen Ties With Ghana By Opening An Embassy In Accra

The long-standing diplomatic and bilateral ties between Ghana and Ukraine have been bolstered with the opening of the Embassy of Ukraine in Accra
The Ukraine diplomatic mission and opening of the Ukrainian Embassy in Ghana will, among others, perform a full range of functions, including developing political contacts, strengthening economic and people-to-people ties, and providing consular services to Ukrainians and Ghanaians.

Commissioning the Embassy on Friday, the Special Envoy of Ukraine to the Middle East and Africa, Dr Maksym Subh, said the opening of the embassy in Accra very much reflected its willingness to develop bilateral contacts at all levels between Ukraine and Ghana.
He said Ghana was not only a traditional friend with whom Ukraine had established diplomatic relations since 1992, but it also was a country with which Ukraine had achieved extraordinary cooperation in the political and trade spheres as well as at international forums, and that the dynamics of the relations had grown exponentially, especially in the last two years.
Dr. Subh said with Ghana making impressive achievements towards attaining sustainable development with tremendous potential to be “the trade gateway of Africa”, Ukraine was ready to work with its Ghanian partners to create an enabling business environment that would build upon Ghana’s stable economy and political foundation and create jobs for citizens of both countries.

AfCFTA
The Special Envoy of Ukraine to the Middle East and Africa said Ukraine looked forward to seizing every opportunity that the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) could provide for expanding trade and economic cooperation between Ukraine and all African states.
He said there was still significant untapped potential for its further expansion and diversification and that Ukraine manufacturers and exporters were ready to offer Ghana high-quality goods and services at very competitive costs.
He noted that Ukraine in the past few years had worked to prepare for the opening of a land market with several important draft laws already adopted and that digital technologies, such as electronic land (e-land) registries and electronic services (e-services) continued to play an important role in the process.
Unwavering support
In his contribution, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong, said Ghana continued to demonstrate its unwavering support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity, including joining UN General Assembly Resolutions to condemn Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
“Our participation in the online International Crimea Platform Summit on 23rd August 2022 underscores our solidarity with Ukraine in addressing the ongoing occupation of Crimea,” he stated.
The Deputy Minister said trade relations between Ghana and Ukraine had been rejuvenated, particularly with the visit of a Ukrainian trade delegation in April 2018 where areas, including agriculture, transportation, industrial equipment, and telecommunications were discussed, paving the way for enhanced economic collaboration.
He noted that economic and trade relations between Ghana and Ukraine had shown promising signs, with Ghana exporting significant commodities such as manganese, aluminium ore, and cocoa powder to Ukraine.
Conversely, Mr Ampratwum-Sarpong said, Ukraine had supplied Ghana with hot-rolled iron bars, raw iron bars, and cold-rolled iron, adding that those exchanges laid a foundation for deeper economic cooperation between the countries.
“However, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine has disrupted these trade dynamics, impeding progress towards meaningful strategic outcomes. Despite these challenges, Ghana remains committed to exploring avenues for enhancing bilateral relations once stability is restored in the region,” he assured.
Relations
Ghana and Ukraine have a rich history dating back to August 1992, shortly after Ukraine gained independence.
Over the years, bilateral relations between Ghana and the Eastern European country have primarily focused on political cooperation, laying a foundation for mutual understanding and collaboration.
Before Russian full-scale military aggression in February 2022, Ukraine’s trade volume with Ghana reached more than $300 million.