Extend interest in Ghana to include agriculture
The Vice-President, Mr Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, has asked the Australian government to extend its area of interest in Ghana beyond mining to include agriculture.
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Mr Amissah-Arthur made the request when the outgoing Australian High Commissioner in Accra, Mrs Joanna Adamson, called on him at the Flagstaff House on thursday to bid him farewell after completing a two-and-a-half-year tour of duty to the country.
Acknowledging the long-standing relations between the two countries which predate the independence era, the Vice-President said “Ghana cherishes its relationship with Australia, and we need to exploit every opportunity born out of our friendship”.
He also underscored the need for value addition to Ghana’s mineral resources to make them more competitive on the international market.
He stated that the country’s mining sector had earned global acclaim for which reason there was the need to add value to its mineral exports to guarantee investor confidence in the commodities.
Mining
Mr Amissah-Arthur told the High Commissioner that Ghana was developing a local content policy in mining to help create job opportunities for residents in the mining areas, adding that mining firms had been tasked to render social services within their operational areas to improve the livelihood of the people.
The Vice-President recalled meeting the immediate past Australian Prime Minister, Mr Tony Abot, at a summit in Sri Lanka about two years ago, where he commended Ghana for supporting Australia’s bid for the presidency of the United Nations Security Council.
Ghana-Australia friendship
Mrs Adamson, for her part, thanked the government for supporting her country’s bid to seek the UN job and expressed the hope that Australia could count on Ghana for similar support in the future.
She said mining was central to Australia’s relationship with Ghana and added that her country was ready to support Ghana within the framework of advancing its mining sector.
Education
Turning the spotlight on education, Mrs Adamson recalled that some Australian educational institutions were in Ghana for a fair last week which attracted scores of people who expressed interest in studying in her country.
Since 2010, Ghanaian students have travelled to Australia through the Australia Awards scheme to study at the master’s level, and also for short courses in areas including health, education, public sector management and mining.
Some Ghanaian government officials have also participated in short-term capacity-building programmes in Australia in the areas of trade law, diplomacy and mining.
The Australian government engages with Ghanaian local communities through the High Commission’s Direct Aid Programme which has since 2004 provided more than GH¢1 million to support local community projects in the areas of health, education, water and sanitation, solar energy, skills training and agriculture.