President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo Thursday presented letters of credence to 13 appointed envoys, with a charge on them to prioritise Ghana’s post COVID-19 recovery agenda at their duty posts.
The envoys including three High Commissioners, eight Ambassadors, one deputy High Commissioner, and a deputy Ambassador, are Dr Winfred Nii Okai Hammond, Ambassador to China, Mr Adagbilab Boniface Gambila, Ambassador to Burkina Faso; Mr James Komla Nyasembi, Ambassador to the Czech Republic; and Madam Perpetua Joyce Naana Dontor, Ambassador to Equatorial Guinea.
The others are Mr Samuel Jojo Effah-Broni, Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco; Mr Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh, High Commissioner to India; Alhaji Rashid Bawa, High Commissioner to Nigeria; Mrs Angelina Baiden-Amissah, Ambassador to The Holy See; and Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Abdulai, Ambassador to the State of Kuwait.
The rest are Mr Anselem Ransford Sowah, High Commissioner to Canada; Ambassador Kwabena Osei Danquah, Ambassador-at-Large; Madam Akua Afriyie, Deputy Ambassador to China; and Madam Rita Tani Iddi, Deputy High Commissioner, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
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At a ceremony at the Jubilee House, Accra, the President administered the Oaths of Office, Allegiance and Secrecy to the envoys, and congratulated them on their “well-deserved” appointment, saying, “I am confident that you will make our nation proud.”
He told them that their appointments had come at a particularly important moment, where all countries, including Ghana, are working to return themselves to a state of normalcy following the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic that had plunged economies into recession, collapsed businesses, disrupted lives and livelihoods, and taken over 3.5 million lives.
The President noted that the pandemic had brought to the forefront the need for nations to strengthen and deepen alliances and cooperations because “no country can afford to go it alone” and “We either succeed together or perish together.”
“And this is where your work as Ambassadors and High Commissioners would be needed the most,” he stressed,
Ghana, by the grace of God, and the effectiveness of Government policies, and the cooperation of the Ghanaian people, the President noted, had had a favourable situation concerning the pandemic, even though the country had recently witnessed an upsurge in the number of cases.
He said the ongoing vaccination campaigns “are offering us a ray of light at the end of a very dark tunnel, hopefully, sooner rather than later, the world will make up for lost time.”
The President told them that his administration’s unprecedented flagship initiative, the GhS100 billion post-COVID-19 Ghana CARES Obaatanpa Programme geared to stabilise, revitalise and transform Ghana’s economy, must be the pivot around which they engaged the rest of the world.
He said they should familiarize themselves with the objectives of the Ghana Cares Obaaatanpa Programme, which is at the core of his second term mandate because they represented“our surest way out of the pandemic and would thrust Ghana back onto the path of progress and prosperity.”
“Each one of you must help and contribute to the success of the programme by facilitating amongst other things, as much foreign investment into the country as you can,” he charged.
At the multilateral level, President Akufo-Addo asked them to work with the respective governments of their accreditation to assist in the prosecution of the common agenda in the fight against the scourge of armed conflicts, terrorism, and violent extremism, the effects of climate change, and the continuing illicit flow of funds from Africa.
He urged them to at all times promote the image of Ghana, whose reputation amongst the comity of nations continued to be high.
“You represent a country that as a result of the commendable conduct of the Ghanaian people, is regarded as one of the most stable on the African continent. It is a functioning democracy, governed by the rule of law, and respect for individual liberties, human rights, and the principles of democratic accountability.
“We are regarded as a beacon of democracy in Africa, you are the most visible symbol of our country out there. In all your actions, you must jealously guard our country’s image… I am confident this is a charge you would keep,” he said
Dr Nii Okai Hammond, on behalf of the envoys, thanked the President for the confidence reposed in them at a time when the world had been brought to its knees by the pandemic.
He gave the assurance that they would capitalize on their experiences, and work earnestly to help the recovery process of the country from the impact of COVID-19, and would stay on course for the realization of the Ghana Beyond Aid agenda.
