Aftermath of Seychelles President to Ghana: KNUST, University of Seychelles to cooperate on E-learning, fisheries, culture, tourism and other areas

Ghana and Seychelles have agreed to deepen cooperation in seven areas, following the recent visit of the President of Seychelles, Wavel Ramkalawan, to Ghana. 

The seven areas are education, culture, bilateral air services agreement (BASA), fisheries, tourism, health and trade.

Out of the seven, agreements in four areas – education, tourism, culture, and bilateral air services agreement (BASA)– have already been signed with the remaining three – tourism, trade and health– in the final stages.

The Honourary Consul of Seychelles to Ghana, Kwame Acquah, who made this known to the Daily Graphic, explained that discussions were ongoing in the remaining three areas for finalisation.

President Ramkalawan and his wife, Linda, were in Ghana for an official visit at the invitation of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

The visit also coincided with Ghana's commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Asantehene, Nana Agyeman Prempeh I’s return from exile in Seychelles in 1924. 

E-learning

Explaining, Mr Acquah said on education, they were currently left with the activation or final stage of signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi and the University of Seychelles for a student exchange programme.

This is for an E-learning programme, because, he said, the KNUST had a “fantastic and very impressive” E-Learning centre, adding that it was to help facilitate student exchange programmes, where students from Seychelles could come to KNUST to study and vice versa.

In the area of fisheries, Mr Acquah said Ghana was already importing fish from Seychelles and, therefore, even without a formal agreement, there was some form of cooperation ongoing and that what was left was for it to be formalised.

Training in hospitality

Under the Tourism sector, he said Seychelles has a “fantastic hotel training institute” for hospitality staff and “we want to further develop that.”

For culture, he said that had already been activated where there was an exhibition in Seychelles originally for two weeks and had been extended for another three months till the end of February 2025, after the visit of the President of Seychelles.

“It is a textile and a photo exhibition, where there are some participants from Ghana,” he added.

For the exhibition in Seychelles, he said every school child above age five was to visit the exhibition and learn about Prempeh I, to enable them to visualise what Prempeh I was all about.

On the Bilateral Air Services Agreement, Mr Acquah said they were working on getting a direct flight from Kumasi to Seychelles via the Prempeh I International Airport (PIA) so that flights between the two countries can be easy. Currently, there is no direct flight from Ghana to Seychelles.

Prempeh’s anniversary

Prempeh I, the late Asantehene, was exiled to Seychelles together with some Asanteman royals in the early 1900s and resided there for 24 years before his return to Ghana. Some of his descendants are still in Seychelles, underscoring the enduring bonds between Seychelles and Ghana.

President Ramkalawan’s visit to Ghana was from November 22 to 25, 2024, and it highlighted the longstanding ties between Seychelles and Ghana, since the establishment of formal diplomatic relations on October 10, 1988.

After meeting with President Akufo-Addo in Accra, where they held bilateral talks, he proceeded to Kumasi for the 100th anniversary of the return from exile, where he held meetings with the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II at the Manhyia Palace, attended a symposium at the KNUST and also met some descendants of King Prempeh I.

He also attended a durbar of chiefs at the Manhyia Palace, held bilateral talks with the Asantehene, had dinner with the Asantehene and President Akufo-Addo at the Manhyia Palace and also joined him for a thanksgiving service the next day at the St Cyprians Anglican Church in Kumasi. 

Writer's email: enoch.frimpong@graphic.com.gh 

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