Ghana, South Africa sign agreements on air transport, energy
Ghana and South Africa signed Memoranda of Understanding on Tuesday to leverage cooperation as part of President Jacob Zuma’s three-day state visit to Ghana.
The agreements included cooperation on Air Service and Transport which was signed by Mrs Dzifa Attivor, Minister for Transport and Mrs Dipuo Peters, South African Minister of Transport.
That of cooperation on Electricity and Energy was signed by Mr Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah and Mr Ben Martins, Ministers of Energy for Ghana and South Africa respectively.
The ceremonies were witnessed by President John Dramani Mahama and South Africa President Jacob Zuma.
In a media briefing, President Mahama said he and his South African counterpart had held meetings that bordered on peace and security on the entire African continent and commended President Zuma for his role in ensuring peace and security in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, as well as Tunisia, Libya and Egypt.
On the agreements, President Mahama said South Africa had the biggest economy in Africa, and that there was the need to cooperate with it to share knowledge and experiences.
He said Ghana had a comparative advantage in the production of energy for both domestic consumption and export and would therefore continue to partner others to achieve their energy goals.
President Mahama said Ghana was expected to meet its energy production target of 5,000 megawatts and would therefore step up its export to neighbouring countries such as Togo, Benin, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
On transport, President Mahama said the current situation where African nationals had to travel to other countries before they could connect with countries on the continent was unacceptable and called for an integration that would ensure effective and smooth air service within the continent.
President Zuma on his part expressed satisfaction at the steady gains that were recorded between the two countries, adding that “Ghana and South Africa had in the past signed similar agreements in Science and Technology, Tourism, Communication Technology”, and expressed the hope that their implementation would enhance the development of all.
President Zuma said investment of South African Businesses in Ghana had reached 64 million Rand, an increment over the five million Rand recorded in 2012.
He commended the Government of Ghana for adhering to the tenets of democracy, a situation he added had earned Ghana “The African Peace Award”, which President Mahama would be receiving early next year in South Africa.
President Zuma promised to support Ghana in her pioneering role in the fight against maritime crime in the Gulf of Guinea.
The two leaders would later address a business forum in Accra.
Source: GNA