Ghana-Mexico Chamber yields positive results
The creation of the Ghana-Mexico Chamber of Business and Culture (GHAMEXCO) in 2017, has successfully yielded positive results by identifying good opportunities between Mexico and Ghana, the Mexican Ambassador to Ghana, Madam Maria de Los Angeles Arriola Aguirre, has stated.
She said the first Mexican investment in Ghana had also been consolidated by an agro-business company, Agro Moneta, which would always inspire other Mexican companies to come to Ghana.
Technical bilateral cooperation and cultural activities had also been a very important tool in our bilateral and fruitful relations, she said
Ambassador Aguirre said this when she addressed a gala dinner to mark the 208th anniversary of the beginning of the Independence of Mexico, which was held at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra at the weekend.
Many officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and students in Ghana have taken advantage of courses and scholarships offered every year by Mexico.
She noted that three important technical cooperation initiatives had been initiated, including one in the petroleum sector, another in the parks and gardens field and the last in the agri-food processing of maize.
The ambassador also commended the co-founders of the GHAMEXCO initiative, Nii Laryea and Franklin Cudjoe, for their roles.
Tourism
Madam Aguirre observed that “Mexico is the world’s sixth main tourist destination, with 39.3 million visitors in 2017.”
In only five years, from 2012 to 2017, she said, tourism increased by 61.5 per cent by the number of visitors and 675 per cent by total income.
“We hope that with the support of KLM / AF and Travel agencies in Ghana, among others, Mexico will soon turn into a favourite destination for Ghanaian tourists,” she stressed.
The ambassador said they could testify that every day more people from Ghana travelled to Mexico, but still not at the desired levels.
She expressed the hope that Ghana would soon turn into a key tourist destination in Africa.
Tourism, she noted, “is a strategic tool to allow people from different countries to know one another better and a great instrument for economic growth.
Politics
The ambassador recalled that on July 1, 2018, Mexico held federal elections.
Those elections, she noted, had been the most competitive and complex in its democratic history, with more than 3,400 electoral positions at federal and local levels.
For the first time, she noted, a left party won with very high percentage (+53%), adding that the change of government would take place on December 1.
She announced that the third-time runner, Andres Manuel López Obrador, would be the new President of Mexico and wished him and the new administration great success.
Gala dinner
The gala dinner featured delightful traditional and ancient Mexican recipes prepared by two renowned Mexican chefs who had come from the magical town of San Miguel de Allende: Alma Caballero and Sofia Antillón.
Mexican music was performed by the very prestigious soprano Martha Juliana Ayech, accompanied by some members of the Ghanaian National Orchestra.
A minute’s silence was observed in honour of the late former United Nations Secretary-General and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Busumuru Kofi Annan, who was laid to rest last Thursday.
Agric Minister
In his address, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, congratulated the Mexican President-elect, Mr Andres Manuel López Obrador, and all Mexicans on their successful election.
He said Ghana and Mexico shared common values of democracy, rule of law, good governance and human rights.
“We are hopeful that as His Excellency Obrador takes on the mantle of the high office as President on December 1, 2018, the bonds of cooperation and friendship existing between Ghana and Mexico would further be strengthened,” he stated.
Dr Akoto expressed the hope that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Establishment of a Consultation Mechanism on Matters of Common Interest to provide a legal framework for deliberations on other areas of cooperation, such as defence and security, agriculture and agro-processing, fisheries, transportation, energy and Information, Communication and Technology would soon be signed to strengthen our cooperation.