Ayorko Botchwey: Ghana committed to a future of hope

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, has reiterated Ghana’s commitment to a future that is marked by hope, fairness, peace, sustainability and security.

She further pledged the country’s commitment to fervently uphold the core values of the Commonwealth.

In a message to commemorate the Commonwealth Day yesterday, the Minister indicated that the Commonwealth had stood the test of time and had amplified the voice of small and vulnerable states and, among other things, provided electoral assistance to countries and ensured good governance.

Ms Botchwey indicated that this year’s theme, “Delivering a Common Future,” aligns with the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Rwanda.

“This highlights how Member states are innovating, connecting and transforming to help achieve goals such as combating climate change, promoting good governance and boosting trade. Our Commonwealth family is dedicated to improving technical cooperation, capacity building, technology transfer and promoting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” she said.

It is in this direction that the Minister pledged Ghana’s commitment to work with its counterparts for a more equal and hopeful future for the commonwealth and the world at large.

On the impact of COVID-19, Ms Botchwey is positive that “as a Commonwealth family, though we may be apart, we stand together united in purpose.”

Joint effort

Meanwhile, ahead of the Day, Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia called for a joint effort of all members of the Commonwealth to confront what he said were challenges threatening the entire global economy as a result of two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Addressing the Accra Ridge Church on Sunday, he noted that just as in the past, the Commonwealth as an institution had dealt with major challenges and surmounted them.

The Vice-President noted: “the Commonwealth, made up of 54 countries… has been a force for good in this world”, adding that as a “united family”, the world had “seen the Commonwealth confront many challenges together in the past”.

At the event, chair of the Advisory Board of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, read the affirmation of the Commonwealth to the congregation.

“We affirm that every person possesses unique worth and dignity. We affirm our respect for nature, and that we will be stewards of the earth by caring for every part of it, and for it as a whole. Joining together in kinship and affinity, in diversity and unity, as members of a worldwide family of nations, we build on shared inheritances.

“We cooperate with mutual respect and goodwill to deliver a common future for the good of all. Through Commonwealth connection we learn from one another, and innovate to transform our communities, our nations and our world,” Mr Otchere-Darko read.

In response to the affirmation, Mr Otchere-Darko also led the congregation as follows: “We affirm our belief in the Commonwealth as a powerful influence for good in the world, and pledge ourselves to its service, now and for the future”.