Malta Lauds Nana Addo for Good Governance

By Maxwell Ofori

The President of Malta, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, has commended President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for what she termed as "good governance" under the latter's administration.

Her commendation comes at a time when the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) would not acknowledge the good works of the current administration.

President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, the first President of Malta to visit Ghana, could not hide her joy at the performance of this government. Her country has supported Ghana in diverse ways.

"I would like take this opportunity to commend you your Excellency President of the Republic of Ghana for the progress that is continuously being made by Ghana in many areas such as that of good governance, that of youth participation, and that of gender empowerment," she remarked.

On his part, President Akufo-Addo described the visit by Her Excellency as a landmark, as it was the first time a sitting President from the Republic of Malta was paying a state visit to Ghana. It was also the first time a President from Malta was visiting a country south of the Sahara, whilst expressing his profound gratitude for the presence of Madam President.

The ministerial teams of the two countries, the President said, held discussions aimed, essentially at strengthening the already cordial relations that exist between the two countries, as well as exploring other areas of co-operation for the mutual benefit of the two peoples.

"Our discussions centered on the improvement in the volumes of trade between Ghana and Malta; mutual support for candidates from our two countries vying for positions with international organisations; issues of migration; and the deepening of political consultations on matters of mutual interest to the two countries, amongst others.

"As member states of the Commonwealth, our two countries share similar aspirations and values. We have collaborated effectively on several matters over the years, particularly, at the meetings of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings (CHOGM). A major outcome of this afternoon's meeting was the reaffirmation of our commitment to collaborate further and provide mutual support at both bilateral and multilateral levels," he opined.

Her Excellency the President of Malta and her team resolved to give voice to Ghana's cause and interests at the European Union.

According to the President, Ghana, on the other hand, would also help to facilitate the provision of a platform for enhanced economic engagement between Malta and the member countries of ECOWAS. "This should boost the trade volumes and help bring prosperity to our peoples."

President Akufo-Addo reiterated Ghana's commitment to the reforms of the global political order. "We, however, made it clear that the inability of the United Nations to undertake the reforms of its institutions that will reflect the realities of our times, and not the realities of the post-war world, represents a manifest injustice against the peoples of Africa.

"It was also agreed that Ghana and Malta extend support to candidates from our respective countries vying for positions in international organisations. Ghana has, therefore, given support to Malta's bid for membership of the Council of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) elections, which take place later this year. Malta, on the other hand, will support Ghana's bid for a Non-Permanent Seat at the UN Security Council from 2020 to 2021.

"This support mechanism has also been to the candidature of Professor Henrietta Mensah-Bonsu, as a Judge on the International Criminal Court (ICC). An MoU, to this end, would be signed after this session by the foreign ministers of the two countries."

Issues of inhumane treatment of illegal migrant has become very topical across the global, with almost all Heads of State in Africa advocating for the rights of those victims to be respected.

As part of the discussion, the Maltese Presidency assured her country's utmost support to ensuring that illegal migrants well treated in a more humane manner. However, President Akufo-Addo reiterated Government's readiness to collaborate with the European Union and Malta to end the bad treatment.

"Again, on the issue of migration, Ghana has been included in the list of beneficiary countries of the EU's Emergency Migration Fund. The Fund is designed to assist in the return and re-integration of our citizens into society.

"Government will collaborate with our friends from the EU and Malta in this regard, and, at the same time, help find solutions to the factors that trigger illegal migration.

"Our deliberations also centered driving investment opportunities, domestic and foreign, in our two countries, and the need for enhanced co-operation and partnership in our development efforts.

"A Business Forum between our two Chambers of Commerce, as well as with the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), has been scheduled to take place at the Accra International Conference Centre tomorrow, July 27, 2017, to identify the trade and business opportunities that exist and would be mutually beneficial to our two countries."

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