Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia has stressed the need for Ghana and the European Union to strengthen synergies that will transform their economies.
Speaking at the opening of the 2018 Ghana -EU Political Dialogue in Accra, Vice President Bawumia said Africa is the closest continent to Europe, historically and geographically, and the choices they make will go a long way to impact each other.
He said both economies need to re-orient the cooperation towards the attainable vision of a “Ghana beyond Aid”.
Relations with individual EU-Member States and Ghana have been excellent and fruitful over the years on the back of the convergence of views on matters of mutual importance both internationally and in bilateral engagements.
Since the establishment of the European Commission in Ghana some four decades ago, about half of assistance received by Ghana has been from the E.U.
A remark by the Minister for the Interior, Ambrose Dery on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway said the dialogue comes at a time when Ghana is instituting measures to consolidate macroeconomic gains as the country is getting out of the IMF programme.
Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia said the dialogue should provide a better vision and guidance that would further mould the quality and strength of the Ghana EU partnership.
He noted that the recent visits by some EU member states to Ghana reaffirm the strong ties between the two economies.
The Head of the EU Delegation to Ghana, Diana Acconcia in response said the EU supports the ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ agenda as it also seeks to reshape its relations with Africa through trade and not aid.
Deliberations at the Ghana-EU Political Dialogue focused on issues related to trade, investment, migration and human rights, regional security, sustainable development among others.
