Foreign Ministry receives letters of credence from Algerian ambassador

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, has received letters of credence from the Ambassador-designate of Algeria to Ghana, Ali Redjei.

The Minister congratulated the diplomat on his appointment as Algeria’s Ambassador to Ghana during the meeting in Accra.

She recalled the two countries’ strong ties extending back to the anti-colonial era, when Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, was in office, and the great bond of friendship that existed then in the fight for the independence of the African continent.

She also recalled the bilateral cooperation that had existed between the two countries and also at multilateral level, where both countries worked together on various issues.

Trade

Ms Botchwey noted that there was still a lot to be done in terms of commerce and investment between the two nations, and that Ghana was the leading destination for foreign direct investments.

“We would like to see more cooperation in that area between Algeria and Ghana,” she said.

She thanked Algeria for supporting Ghana during her bid for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, and hoped to see more robust cooperation between their two nations.

Ms Botchwey therefore recommended that, as part of their partnership, Algeria would act as a bridge to North Africa for Ghana, while Ghana would serve as a bridge to the West of the continent for Algeria.

She advised both countries not to underestimate the size of the market that had been formalized as a result of the AfCFTA’s establishment.

“A market of 1.2 billion people is not little. We must begin trading amongst ourselves and I believe that, as you are here, that should be one of your areas of attention,” Ms Botchwey said.

In addition, the Foreign Minister indicated that one of the primary areas they have to work on in order to create progress in the continental free zone is peace and security.

“There can be no growth without peace and security. As a result, we won’t be able to enjoy the freedom of mobility that we crave,” she said.

Ms Botchwey cited the presence of over a hundred Ghanaian students in Algeria, many of whom are on scholarships, and stated that such gestures cannot be taken for granted by the Ghanaian government.

“These are gestures of strong friendship because Algeria has seen it fit to contribute to the human resource development of this country, which is a pillar of our policy of Ghana Beyond Aid, where we pay a lot of attention with a focus on education”, the Minister said.

Response

Mr Redjei, in turn, conveyed to Madam Ayorkor Botchwey fraternal greetings from Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad, Ramtane Lamamra.

He stated that Algeria’s Foreign Minister wished to continue political consultations with his Ghanaian counterpart in order to strengthen bilateral cooperation and solidarity between the two countries. It is also to deepen the exchange of views on Africa’s regional issues, particularly those of mutual interest.

Mr Redjei said he would work to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries on political, economic, security, cultural and technical levels during his tenure.

In his view, both countries have great potential and that all that is needed is a commitment to putting development plans in place that would allow them to sustain fruitful cooperation.