President Akufo-Addo and Kenyan President William Ruto on Wednesday supervised the signing of a number of agreements as part of efforts to strengthen the bond of cooperation between Ghana and Kenya.
In all, eight different Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) were signed with four of them signed at the Jubilee House in Accra, when President Akufo-Addo played host to President Ruto who is in the country on a three-day state visit.
The MoUs signed were in the areas of education, tourism, diplomacy, and defence cooperation, while the other four signed at the Ghana-Kenya business forum held at the Kempinski Gold Coast Hotel in Accra focused on investment promotion, manufacturing, industry and governance.
Addressing a joint news conference after the signing of the agreements, President Akufo-Addo said the purpose of the visit by the Kenyan President was to reaffirm the ties of cooperation and the bonds of friendship that the two countries have had with each other.
He said the relationship that existed between Ghana and Kenya were forged in colonial times during the common struggles of peoples of the two countries to free themselves from the yoke of imperialism and colonialism.
President Akufo-Addo said in line with this each generation had rededicated itself to strengthen the ideals and values that animated the struggles, adding that “Ghana and Kenya established diplomatic relations shortly after Kenya gained her independence in 1963 and has been an active participant in regional and international fora collaborating on mutual issues such as peacekeeping, regional integration and sustainable development.”
He said trade and economic ties between the two countries had been growing steadily over the years with cultural exchanges fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of each.
“We supported each other at various international platforms including within the United Nations, the African Union and the Commonwealth advocating for common positions on issues such as peace and security, climate change and sustainable development. Overall, these relationships have been characterised by mutual respect, cooperation and a shared commitment to advancing the interest of our respective nations and the African continent as a whole,” he emphasised.
President Akufo-Addo noted that the deliberation between himself and his counterpart centred on investment opportunities, domestic and foreign into the two countries, and touched on the need for enhanced cooperation and partnership in the development efforts.
On his part, the visiting Kenyan President, Mr Ruto said prior to his visit respective delegations of the two countries had discussed the elevation of their dedicated mechanism for the conduct of their bilateral relations from a joint commission for cooperation to a bi-national commission.
He said the establishment of the bi-national commission would give his country the opportunity as well as elevate its interaction, and collaboration with Ghana.
“We have noted this development as a significant milestone in the evolution of our diplomatic ties, which stand on a warm and cordial dynamic and impactful historic collaboration. We’ve also agreed that the inaugural session of the Bi- national commission would provide us with an opportunity to reaffirm our friendship, deepen our bilateral ties, and strengthen the normal course of African economic integration as espoused by our Africa Union Agenda 2063,” he emphasised.
President Ruto explained that the Pan African independent movement inspired many African countries that followed in Ghana’s independence and it was in this same capacity that AfCFTA headquartered in Ghana was a leading force in economic integration and development of 55 countries within eight regions and economic communities on the continent.
He said the free movement of people between Ghana and Kenya had contributed immensely to trade, investment and tourism, stressing that “In this respect, His Excellency and I noted that trade between Kenya and Ghana is growing in 2022 for example, Kenya’s imports to Ghana were valued at 10. 4 million US dollars, and imports were valued at 4.8 million US dollars.”