President Akufo-Addo’s duty tour to Belgium to attend the 15th Edition of the European Development Days Forum and the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali, Rwanda are some of the trending stories in the Ghanaian press on Tuesday.
The Graphic reports that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is in Brussels, Belgium, to attend the 15th Edition of the European Development Days (EDD) Forum.
The Communications Director at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin, in a statement, said the President, who left the country last Sunday, would also attend the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kigali, Rwanda, from tomorrow.
President Akufo-Addo is one of 11 leaders who will be speaking at the opening ceremony of the EDD Forum.
Organised by the European Commission, the forum brings key actors together to share ideas and experiences in ways that inspire new partnerships and innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.
For its 15th edition, the EDD will focus on “Global Gateway: Building sustainable partnerships for a connected world”.
Global Gateway is the new European strategy to boost smart, clean and secure links in digital, energy and transport and strengthen health, educational and research systems across the world.
The statement added that President Akufo-Addo would travel to Kigali, the Rwandan capital, tomorrow to attend the 2022 CHOGM.
“Commonwealth leaders are traveling to Rwanda to reaffirm their common values and agree actions and policies to improve the lives of all their citizens,” it said.
In Kigali, the President would also attend the sod-cutting ceremony for the construction of an mRNA vaccine factory.
The newspaper says that the Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has called on judges to, with speed, punish severely perpetrators of attacks on journalists, irrespective of their social status and political affiliations.
That, he explained, was urgently required to stem the tide of attacks against journalists.
Mr Nkrumah was speaking at the opening ceremony of a training workshop for judges on the need to protect the freedom of expression and the safety of journalists in Ho yesterday.
“The wheels of justice may grind slowly, but My Lord Chief Justice, the feedback I have from my media colleagues is that some quick punitive action targeted at the perpetrators of infringements against media practitioners will be appreciated.
“It will be the strongest message to the next batch of state and non-state actors that it is not acceptable to attack journalists, no matter how much you disagree with what they say,” the minister said.
The workshop was designed to deepen the capacity of judges in dealing with matters of freedom of expression and safety of journalists and reinforce their expertise towards fighting abuses against journalists by ensuring the prosecution and trial of those responsible for those attacks.
Twenty-five judges of the High Court and the Court of Appeal attended the programme
The Ghanaian Times reports that Dr Ernest Addison, the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, says the payments systems will be key to the success of the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
He said a supportive payment and settlement system can be used as a strategic tool to enhance and facilitate the African regional integration drive, increase competitiveness, and improve Africa’s position in the international financial system.
The governor was speaking at the end of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS) 2022 Public Forum on the role of payment systems in the success of the AfCFTA Forum, an annual event by the GAAS, was part of efforts to bridge the gap between Academia, practice, and the public.
This year’s sessions were sponsored by UMB as part of its 50thanniversary celebrations.
He said a strong and well-regulated African financial infrastructure could deepen the benefits of intra-regional trade, eliminate the use of a third currency for settlement, improve liquidity management of firms, and reduce transaction costs.
Professor Ebo Turkson of the Department of Economics at the University of Ghana, said there was the need to heavily invest in hard and soft infrastructure to cut down the cost of intra-African trade.
Prof. Turkson illustrated how it was cheaper for a Ghanaian business to trade with Europe than with their African counterparts. “Without infrastructure development, African Trade will work,” he added.
Nana Dwemoh Beneh, the Chief Executive Officer of UMB, argued that syndication was critical for Ghanaian Banks to partake in the financing deals critical to building the soft and hard infrastructure needed to facilitate intra-African trade.
He said Ghana had an advantage as structures like the Development Bank and the EXIM Bank allowed the banking sector to provide the needed muscle for such syndications.
The newspaper says that Sweden has inaugurated a new Honorary Consulate General in Accra on Wednesday, to deepen bilateral relations and economic co-operation between Ghana and Sweden.
Ms Nickie Akosa, the honorary Consul General is both of Swedish and Ghanaian descent and would represent Sweden in Ghana and facilitate official engagements between the two countries.
At an opening ceremony in Accra, Mr Carl-Michael Gräns, the Ambassador of Sweden to Ghana, handed over the official certificate to Ms Akosa, signed by the Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs and the King of Sweden.
Mr Gräns said Sweden considered it important to be represented in Ghana, particularly at a time when the country was hosting the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
He said the Ghanaian market was important to the Swedish country, adding that Swedish companies present in Ghana ranged from heavy industry to tech start-ups.
“We want to be present on this market. We have energy, the green transformation which is very important, and sustainable urbanisation. We talk about building smart cities, and the environment to be friendly. There are a lot of things to do together.”
“West Africa intra-trade is 16 per cent. When you compare that to the EU, it is more than 70 per cent, so I think there is a lot to do and we think it will give economic growth in many years to come,” he said.
Mr Gräns said the consul would facilitate economic cooperation, political dialogue, and cultural exchange and help Swedish businesses in Ghana to do business with Ghanaians.
Ms Akosa described her appointment as “a special thing” and thanked Mr Gräns for entrusting her with the responsibility and privilege to represent Sweden in Ghana.
She pledged to work with all stakeholders in Sweden and Ghana to promote trade relations between the two countries.
“It’s a special thing at the personal level being that I am both of Swedish and Ghanaian descent and I have always been deeply rooted in the cultures of both countries, so this is really such a great honour for me,” she said.
GIK/APA