By Francis Ameyibor, GNA Special Correspondent, Dakar,
Senegal
Dakar
(Senegal), Oct. 19, GNA – Ghana has proposed for the establishment of a
Permanent Joint Commission for Cooperation (PJCC) with Cape Verde to focus on
some critical areas for the mutual benefit of the two countries.
These are tourism
and culture, transport, health, education, fisheries, trade and investment,
technology, gender and social inclusion.
To cement
Ghana’s commitment to the PJCC, a proposed draft Agreement to that effect has
been submitted to the Director of Political, Economic and Cultural Affairs at
the Cape Verdean Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Julio Morais, (in both English
and Portuguese), for consideration.
Mrs Gloria
Poku, Ghana’s Ambassador to Senegal, disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency in
an interview in Dakar, after presenting her Letters of Credence to President
Jorge Carlos Fonseca of Cape Verde at the Presidential Palace in Praia.
The PJCC forms
part of comprehensive modalities to strengthen bilateral relationship with Cape
Verde, Mrs Poku, who also have additional responsibilities over the Gambia and
Cape Verde, said.
She said under
Education, there would be an exchange programme between Ghana and Cape Verde
with Ghana sending English teachers to Cape Verde and students from that country
coming to Ghana to study English.
Mrs Poku
explained that the draft PJCC Agreement was to provide the legal framework for
the conduct of bilateral cooperation in the relevant areas.
She reiterated
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s commitment to starting the process of
developing stronger ties, as well as exploring areas of cooperation to the
mutual benefits of their citizens.
She said she
would work with the Cape Verdean Government to deepen cooperation as the two
countries explored investments in fisheries and tourism, where Cape Verde had
strength, to share expertise and best practices.
Mr Jose da
Silva Goncalves, the Cape Verdean Minister of Tourism, Transport and Maritime
Economy, disclosed the intention of the country’s Airlines to add Ghana, Nigeria, and Cote
d’Ivoire to its destinations.
At the moment
there is no direct connection between Ghana and Cape Verde by air. The existing
flight connections are via Dakar, Senegal or Lisbon, Portugal.
Mr Goncalves
said this had potential of opening up the two nations for increased economic,
commercial and tourism cooperation, whilst facilitating people-to-people
contact.
GNA
