Ghana says Jubilee oilfields are safe despite Ivory Coast’s claim of oil border
Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni, has assured Ghanaians that the Jubilee Oil Field is safe, despite the claim being made by Cote d’ Ivoire to portions of the huge oil wealth.
He said the government was determined to ensure that the national interest and the interest of Ghanaians were not compromised in any way.
Addressing the media in Accra Tuesday, the minister indicated that negotiations were ongoing between the two countries as well as Nigeria, Togo and Benin, to demarcate the maritime boundaries to ensure peace in the sub-region.
He said the need for Ghana to maintain her policy of good neighbourliness could not be over-emphasised and this policy was pursued by the ministry with the priority given to Ghana’s relations with its neighbours and ECOWAS member states.
He said the cordial bilateral relations between Ghana and its neighbours were greatly enhanced through the periodic exchange of visits between government officials, including the President and his counterparts in the sub-region.
Alhaji Mumuni said the ministry participated in efforts aimed at promoting a climate of peace and stability in the sub-region in the firm belief that it was a necessary condition for addressing common challenges to development such as money laundering, illicit trafficking of small arms and weapons, drugs and the trafficking of children across national borders.
He asserted that at the continental level, Ghana continued to play its part in the collective effort by the African Union to promote peace, stability and economic development on the African continent.
He said the ministry maintained a reasonable high profile diplomatic presence, which has yielded for the country appreciable levels of foreign direct investments, political goodwill, international solidarity and a sustained positive image.
He said in keeping with the government’s commitment to harness opportunities of diplomacy to promote both traditional and non-traditional trade and attract foreign direct investments, the ministry collaborated with other MDAs to achieve a national objective of diversifying and expanding the export base of the economy by actively seeking markets for Ghanaian products abroad while taking full advantage of preferential arrangements and the advantage that could accrue from multilateral trade agreements.
Alhaji Mumuni said working through the instrumentality of Ghana Missions abroad and in co-ordination with the various MDAs and foreign diplomatic missions in Ghana, the ministry facilitated the conclusion of agreements between Ghana and its development partners, including the donations of three million euro by Germany for a joint market-oriented agricultural programme and an agreement with Samsung to invest $140 million for the next five years in Ghana in ICT learning centre currently under construction.
He said the ministry supported the government’s objective to promote the application of science, technology and innovations in all sectors of the economy by seeking educational, scientific and technological co-operation with friendly nations to encourage the transfer and diffusion of technology in national development .
Source: Daily Graphic