APA – Accra (Ghana)
The report that Kamala Harris, the Vice President of the United States, was greeted with cheers from schoolchildren, dancers, and drummers upon her arrival at Ghana’s Kotoka International Airport on Sunday, marking the start of her week-long tour of Africa is one of the leading stories in the Ghanaian press on Monday.
The Graphic reports that Kamala Harris, the Vice President of the United States, was greeted with cheers from schoolchildren, dancers, and drummers upon her arrival at Ghana’s Kotoka International Airport on Sunday, marking the start of her week-long tour of Africa.
The aim of her visit is to strengthen U.S. relationships with the continent in the face of global competition over its future.
Harris expressed her enthusiasm for the trip, stating that it further solidifies the enduring relationship and friendship between the people of the United States and Africa.
She was welcomed with Ghanaian and American flags and a display of traditional dancing, to which she responded by smiling broadly and placing a hand on her heart.
During her visit, Harris plans to promote economic growth and food security, and to witness firsthand the innovation and creativity taking place on the continent.
“What an honour it is to be here in Ghana and on the continent of Africa,” she said. “I’m very excited about the future of Africa.”
She was in the company of her husband Douglas Emhoff and other officials of the US government.
The newspaper says that the Chinese authorities have expressed their commitment to support Ghana to resolve the current short-term liquidity challenges.
China will also continue to support Ghana’s medium and long-term developmental aspirations.
“China believes in promoting debt sustainability and sustainable development,” the Chinese Minister of Finance, Liu Kun, said.
He gave the assurance when the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, led a high-level delegation from the ministry to China to engage in bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart and other Chinese officials.
The discussions bordered on recent macroeconomic developments in Ghana and the subsequent application for support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as well as the G20 Common framework.
Mr Ofori-Atta and his team, including Ghana’s Ambassador to China, Dr Winfred Nii Okai Hammond, engaged key Chinese government officials, including Minister Liu Kun, Chinese Minister for Finance, the Chairman of the Export Import Bank of China (Exim Bank), Wu Fuli, the Vice-Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Deng Li, the Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Commerce, Li Fei, and the Vice-President of Exim Bank, Zhang Wencai.
Others were the Wang Weidong of the China Development Bank (CDB), the General Manager of the International Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), Yang Haitao, and the Chairman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), Luo Zhaohui.
The Chinese finance minister’s assurances followed submissions by Mr Ofori-Atta explaining the rationale for the visit for bilateral discussions around Ghana’s debt position with China.
Mr Ofori-Atta thanked the Chinese authorities for their valuable participation in the G20 Creditor Committee meeting on Tuesday, March 21, this year in Paris, to consider Ghana’s debt treatment application.
The Ghanaian Times reports that a number of companies in Thailand have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Jospong Group of Companies (JGC) for rice production.
These companies numbering about 10 are in the Thailand rice value chain, and it is in relation with the Ghana-Thailand Rice Project.
The companies, which cut across the rice value chain, include fertiliser producers, dealers of rice milling equipment, seedling research centres, among others, are Smart Engineering Consultants Company, FairAgora Asia Ltd., New Kaset Thai Company Ltd., TAMCO Trading International Co. Ltd., Glofert Growing Growth, and Hypro Foods World Co Ltd.
The rest are Aneksin Motor Partnership Limited, TNP Billionair Group, SQI Group Company Limited Biomatlink Company Limited and Deler International Rice Machinery Co.
The MoUs were signed with the companies on the sidelines of a Thailand-Ghana Business Conference at Grand Fortune, Bangkok in Thailand on Sunday, March 19, 2023.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Asian African Consortium (AAC), Mrs Adelaide ArabaSiawAgyepong, initialled for the JGC while the various Chief Executives Officers signed for their companies.
Present at the signing ceremony were the Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture in charge of Crops, Yaw AddoFrimpong, Ghana’s High Commissioner to Malaysia, Mrs Florence B. Akonor, Honorary Consul of Ghana in Thailand, Dr Sicha Singsomboon, and the Founder and Executive Chairman of the JGC, Dr Joseph SiawAgyepong.
The business conference, which brought together captains of Thailand rice industry and several companies and a Ghanaian delegation, led by the Executive Chairman of the Jospong Group of Companies (JGC), was on the theme: ‘Ghana-Thailand Business Forum; Partnership for Sustainable Rice Production in Ghana.’
Speaking to journalists shortly after the signing ceremony, the CEO of AAC, Mrs Adelaide ArabaSiawAgyepong, commended the Thai companies for their interest to work with the group for the success of the Ghana integrated rice project.
“Once we have signed MoUs with you (referring to the Thailand rice companies), it means that we have reposed trust and confidence in your companies, so we will need your full support,” she urged.
According to her, the partnership forged with them would mutually benefit both parties, and added that “we work with speed and will be doing same with your companies.”
Ghana’s High Commissioner to Malaysia, Mrs Florence B. Akonor, allayed the fears of the Thai people that the partnership would see them at the losing end.
“The partnership we are forging with your companies is a win-win situation for Ghana and Thailand,” she said.
The newspaper says that Gold Fields and AngloGold Ashanti, last Wednesday, announced a proposed JV in Ghana between Gold Fields’ Tarkwa and AngloGold Ashanti’s neighbouring Iduapriem Mine.
The proposed JV, according to the two entities, is projected to create Africa’s largest gold in Africa and among the top ten biggest mining companies in the world.
Gold Fields is expected to hold 60 per cent stake in the new biggest mining company to be created through the JV, while AngloGold Ashanti and the government of Ghana will hold 30 per cent and ten per cent stakes respectively.
Mr Mortoti said negotiations with the government and key stakeholders would soon begin and is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
He said the negotiations would, among others, centre on the proposed structure of the JV and regulatory approvals from entities such as the Environmental Protection Agency.
Mr Mortoti explained that the JV would improve the life mine of the two fields, ensure business efficiency and operational synergy through combining respective ore bodies and infrastructure for the benefits of shareholders and stakeholders.
“We are extremely excited about the opportunity to create a mining entity with the potential to become the largest gold mine in Africa, delivering safe, sustainable and profitable production over the long term, by combing two parts of the same world-class ore body,” he said.
The Managing Director of AnglogGold Ashanti Ghana, Eric Asubonteng, said the combination of the two entities would provide scale and help the new entity produce at a reduced cost.
“By creating one of the world’s largest gold operations – in a pre-eminent mining jurisdiction – we will create longer-term value not only for AngloGold Ashanti and Gold Fields, but for our combined stakeholders,” he said.
GIK/APA