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Friday, March 29, 2024

Ghana, South Africa Chart New Course

President Akufo-Addo welcoming President Ramaphosa at the Jubilee House.

Ghana
and South Africa have sealed a deal for the establishment of a Bi-National
Commission.

The
deal was signed at the Jubilee House, the seat of government, in Ghana’s
capital, Accra, on the sidelines of the working visit of South Africa’s
President, Cyril Ramaphosa.

The
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey,
signed the agreement on behalf of Ghana while Dr. Naledi Pandor, Minister of
International Relations and Co-operation signed on behalf of South Africa.

The
Bi-National Commission will seek ways and means to enhance co-operation in the
various sectors of government and to co-ordinate and facilitate contact between
the public and private sectors of the two countries.

The
commission will establish a framework within which the parties may conduct
their relationship and set out the modalities and institutional mechanisms of
co-operation.

The
commission shall per the agreement be chaired jointly by the Presidents of the
two countries or their authorised representatives in line
with the accepted diplomatic protocol.

Structure

It
shall consist of senior government representatives of the parties in the
various sectors of co-operation agreed upon for the achievement of the commission’s
objectives and adopt its own rules of procedure.

There
would be the establishment of Sectoral Committees when necessary, and public
and private sector representatives may be invited to participate in meetings of
Sectoral Committees or in other structures established by the committees in
line with the agreement.

Sectoral
Committees shall per the agreement adopt their own rules of procedure
consistent with the rules of the commission and present reports of its meetings
to the commission for approval.

Areas
of co-operation include economic, cultural, scientific, technical, social and
other areas that may be identified by the parties.

Mr. Ramaphosa arrived in Ghana on Wednesday night for a two-day working visit.

BY Melvin Tarlue

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