By
Robert Anane GNA
Accra, Oct 3, GNA – Ghana’s mutual engagement
with China should by not be seen as China colonizing Ghana.
What Ghana needs to do, is make the best of
its relations with China by ensuring, that its citizens gain from of a
revitalized economy in the areas of health, education and road infrastructure
among others.
“What is needed are experts who would
ensure, that that our engagement with China yields the best gains possible for
Ghana.”
Dr. Benjamin Anyagre, General Secretary of the
Ghana China Friendship Association (GHACHIFA), told the Ghana News Agency in an
interview, that engaging with other countries in the quest to achieve
socio-economic growth, which was crucial to political stability, was the way to
go for any country.
“We are not an island. We need to share
best practices with other countries for mutual gain,” he observed.
The GHACHIFA General Secretary observed that
Ghana had to learn from a key feature of most developed countries with respect
to their relations with other nations saying, “these countries always
considered first and foremost their interest in all their dealings. Permanent
interests go to the heart of their countries’ growth.”
He said China became the largest developing
economy, and the world’s second largest economy, by paying close attention to
its particular interests adding that “Ghana must begin to determine and
pay close attention to its core areas of interest as a country, with respect to
its developmental needs.”
Dr. Anyagre said it was worth noting that,
whilst many tribes had come together to form the nation Ghana, “our
national identity has to be built on a common interest as a people. Partisan
politics must be approached in a manner that promotes the common interest of
our people.”
He said it was important to objectively analyse
Ghana’s relations with China, in order to have a good grasp of the real merits,
instead of promoting negative sentiments which had no concrete basis.
Dr. Anyagre noted that China had greatly
contributed to Ghana’s socio economic growth in several fields such as
education, infrastructural development, the agricultural sector, and many more.
“If the Chinese are in Ghana, obeying our
laws and helping us to grow and improve upon our economy, then they are friends
who must be embraced and not castigated and maligned with bad propaganda,”
he noted.
Dr. Anyagre touched on anti-Chinese sentiments
that had lately been expressed by some sections of the media and noted, that
there had been many occasions when other foreigners had committed offenses in
the country, adding, “why are some of us targeting China and the Chinese
and what is the fear?”.
He said China was clear in its policy,
regarding its relations with Africa and Ghana for that matter, so all Ghana had
to do, was to follow through its partnership with China, with the right
principles and practices at the heart of its dealings.
Dr. Anyagre cautioned, that it was against the
UN provisions on the observation of human rights, to discriminate against any
group of people without concrete justification, adding, “it is a human
rights issue and also against the UN human rights provisions.”
The GHACHIFA General Secretary said one core
lesson that Ghana could learn from China with respect to its development, was
that China reached its present level of socio-economic advancement, out of what
he termed as “despotic” cultural systems, consisting of several
tribes.
“Today, China, despite a difficult past,
is a solid nation. Can we learn from them?” Dr. Anyagre asked.
He observed, that the principles of Confucius,
which lay emphasis on the need to learn and abide by such virtuous qualities as
humility, honesty, discipline, accountability, selflessness and a genuine yearn
for progress among several others, were keenly observed by the Chinese, which
as a result, propelled them to their current level of progress.
Dr. Anyagre said whilst many tribes had come
together to form Ghana, “our national identity is supposed to be built on
our common interest as a people.”
China remains Ghana’s largest trading partner
and main source of foreign investment.
China’s non-finacial direct investment to
Ghana, reached US$3.2 billion by the end of 2017.
GNA