Ghana: Press zooms in on President’s call for stronger Africa-Korea partnership, others

The report that President Akufo-Addo acknowledged that more work is needed to remove barriers to trade, enhance infrastructure, and promote knowledge exchange to unlock the full potential of this partnership is one of the leading stories in the Ghanaian press on Wednesday.
The Ghanaian Times reports that President Akufo-Addo acknowledged that more work is needed to remove barriers to trade, enhance infrastructure, and promote knowledge exchange to unlock the full potential of this partnership
The 2024 Korea-Africa Summit, held in Seoul, Korea, began on Tuesday with a powerful call for deeper collaboration and mutual growth from President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of Ghana.
Addressing a distinguished audience, including Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and other Heads of State and Government, President Akufo-Addo outlined a vision of shared growth, sustainability and solidarity under the summit’s theme, “The Future We Make Together.”
In his remarks, President Akufo-Addo emphasized the longstanding relationship between Ghana and Korea, established nearly 50 years ago in 1977. “Korea has proven to be a reliable partner and dependable friend of Ghana,” he stated, highlighting the economic, cultural, and political exchanges that have benefited both nations.
The Ghanaian leader praised the collaborative spirit that has characterized this partnership and expressed hope for its continued strength.
President Akufo-Addo identified three critical pillars for the future of Africa-Korea relations: shared growth, sustainability, and solidarity.
He underscored the importance of economic collaboration, noting Africa’s abundant natural resources and youthful population as key assets.
“By fostering trade, investment, and innovation, we can create a relationship of synergy that benefits both regions,” he said.
The newspaper says that the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has described the ‘Green Ghana Project’ as a major success as more than 30 million out of the 41 million seedlings planted between 2021 and 2023 have survived.
He explained that out of the seven million trees planted in 2021, 67 per cent survived with 72 per cent of the trees surviving out of the 24 million planted in 2022. Similarly, those planted in 2023 recorded 81 per cent survival rate out of the 10 million.
Addressing the media ahead of the ‘Green Ghana Day’ scheduled for Friday, June 7, Mr Jinapor said as part of measures to ensure maximum survival rate, the Ministry had decided to maintain the 2023 target of 10 million (10,000,000) trees.
He said this is to provide the needed space for more resources to be given to all the trees planted over the period.
“This will give us space to devote some resources and attention to the trees planted over the last three years, while not losing momentum on our quest to restore our degraded landscape. The Government expects that we will receive the usual massive support this year to build on the successes achieved in 2021, 2022 and 2023,” he stressed.
Touching on the theme for this year’s day, he said “Growing for a Greener Tomorrow,” was carefully chosen to ensure focus on sustainability, environmental conservation and future well-being.
“This theme will enable us to push boundaries to contribute to the global efforts at tackling climate change to support our survival and the sustainability of our planet,” he said.
The Graphic reports that Ghana is advocating strongly for a change to the structure of the international financial system to protect vulnerable nations.
Particularly, it is supporting a proposal by the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley who is pushing for a global financial policy reform. Addressing a forum of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in Antigua and Barbuda in the Caribbean, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, said Ghana was in support of the proposal because that was the way to go.
“Ghana is committed to the fight of the SIDS because it is right, it is necessary and because we have the moral duty to do so. “Ghana urges support for the 2022 Bridgetown Initiative for the Reform of the Global Financial Architecture,” Ms Botchwey told the gathering which included UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, and leaders from all over the world.
Apart from addressing the gathering, Ms Botchwey also held bilateral meetings with some leaders and ministers from Mauritius, Maldives, Nauru, Tsonga, Tuvalu, Antigua and other countries.
There are 39 countries categorised under SIDS, with 18 associate members. They constitute one per cent of the global population but are at the receiving end of disproportionate battering by climate disasters and stark economic conditions due to their geographical remoteness, small populations, land size and their citizens’ dependence on the ocean for their livelihoods.
The Bridgetown Initiative suggests a desperate and widely acknowledged need for adequate funding for climate action, which would simultaneously close the large infrastructure gaps that plague low- and middle-income countries, to achieve a more equitable and sustainable future for all.
SIDS were recognised as a special case both for their environment and development at the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Brazil 32 years ago. The group also faces high import and export costs for goods and irregular international traffic volumes.
The newspaper says that the Managing Director of Access Bank (Ghana) plc, Olumide Olatunji said in spite of a challenging financial environment, the bank has showed resilience and leadership.
He mentioned what he termed as “The remarkable profits we recorded could not have been achieved without the trust reposed in us and partnership from all our customers and relevant stakeholders”.
The bank posted a net profit surge in 2023 by 47.1 per cent in the third quarter to $34.4 million, from $23.3 million in the same period of 2022.
“This award affirms the bank’s commitment to the needs of customers and the excellent service delivery it offers, evident in the bespoke banking products, accelerating access to finance, supporting women and women-led initiatives, partnerships for the growth of SMEs, education, and the bank’s commitment to Corporate Social
Responsibility, among many other impactful initiatives,” Mr Olatunji added.
He further assured the bank’s customers saying, “for you, we will keep doing more”.
His comments comes at the bank named the Best Bank in Ghana for 2024 by Global Finance magazine awards.
The feat, the bank said in a release is a reflection of the bank’s “strong financial performance, innovative digital solutions, and commitment to customer service.
Access Bank has been particularly noted for its ability to navigate Ghana’s challenging economic environment while maintaining robust profitability and offering a range of digital banking services.”
“The award further reflects Access Bank’s commitment to meeting the evolving needs of its customers and providing tailor-made products and services.
GIK/APA