Ghana and South Korea are set to deepen their bilateral cooperation as the two countries prepare to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations next year.
The Korean Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Kyongsig Park, said the meeting between President John Dramani Mahama and the Korean President, Lee Jae Myung, during a bilateral summit in March had produced concrete outcomes in areas including climate change, technology and digital innovation, and maritime security.
Mr Park said Korea looked forward to commemorating the 50th anniversary through a series of meaningful events and engagements celebrating five decades of friendship and cooperation.
He was speaking at a ceremony in Accra on Friday to celebrate Korean National Day.
The event was attended by ministers of state, Members of Parliament, religious leaders, business executives and members of the Diplomatic Corps.
Mr Park said Ghana and Korea shared important values and experiences that provided a strong foundation for mutual understanding and an even closer partnership.
He described Ghana as a valued partner for Korea in regional and international affairs.
“As a stable democracy and a respected leader in West Africa, Ghana plays an important role in the international community, and we look forward to working even more closely together in multilateral fora and in addressing shared global challenges,” Mr Park added.
The Ambassador said Korea’s friendship with Ghana was supported by a strong and steadily expanding economic partnership.
Over the years, he said, the two countries had made significant progress in areas ranging from trade and investment to maritime cooperation and agriculture.
“Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1977, bilateral trade has increased approximately 38-fold, while Korean companies have established a growing presence in Ghana, particularly in the manufacturing and fisheries sectors,” he said.
Mr Park said during the bilateral summit in March, Korea and Ghana officially signed the Framework Agreement for Cooperation on Climate Change.
He said once the agreement entered into force, it was expected to pave the way for climate-related projects by Korean companies in Ghana.
According to him, the projects could contribute not only to efforts by both countries to address climate change, but also to job creation, new economic opportunities and increased government revenue for Ghana.
He said Korea’s development cooperation with Ghana was broad in scope and geographical reach, covering agriculture, health, education, the environment and several other sectors.
The programmes, he said, were implemented with support from organisations including the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Korea Foundation for International Healthcare (KOFIH), Korea Programme on International Agriculture (KOPIA), Korea Environmental Industry and Technology Institute (KEITI), Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) and the Korea Eximbank.
Mr Park said the Korean government had allocated approximately $32 million this year for Official Development Assistance (ODA) projects in Ghana.
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, said the relationship between Ghana and Korea continued to flourish as the two countries explored ways to deepen cooperation.
He conveyed President Mahama’s best wishes and goodwill to Korea, its President and people.
BY MALIK SULLEMANA
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