Malta President arrives for 3-day state visit

The President of Malta, Dr George William Vella, will arrive in the country this evening for a three-day State visit.

He will be accompanied by his wife, Miriam Vella.

President Vella will be received at the Kotoka International Airport by the Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, and other government officials.

Tomorrow, President Vella will hold bilateral talks with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House, after a guard of honour will be mounted for him at the forecourt of the seat of government. The two leaders will later address a press conference at the Jubilee House.

Later in the evening, a state banquet will be held for the visiting President and his delegation at the Jubilee House.

The First Lady of Ghana, Rebecca Akufo-Addo, will lead the First Lady of Malta to visit Little Explorers Montessori, which has learners of 40 nationalities, after which they will join the two Presidents at the National Lottery Authority (NLA). The NLA was established by Maltese and had its first Director General being Maltese.

President Vella and First Lady Miriam will then visit the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum where he will lay wreaths and embark on a guided tour.

Kumasi

On Saturday, President Vella and his wife will call on the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, at the Manhyia Palace.

While in Kumasi, they will visit HopeExchange Hospital established by a Maltese non-governmental organisation as part of the Health Cooperation between Ghana and Malta.

The hospital, which is aimed to be a teaching hospital, was established with support from the Maltese government, the Vatican and donors from other parts of the world.

Chocolate Factory

Before their departure on Sunday, President Vella, his wife and the delegation will visit 57 Chocolate Factory, a Ghanaian women-owned luxury chocolate brand that evokes 1957 — Ghana's Independence year.

It is the first beans-to-chocolate manufacturer using the quality organic Ghanaian cocoa beans without additives or preservatives.

Background

An Island country in Southern Europe, Malta chose Ghana as the preferred choice for the establishment of its first-ever mission, the High Commission in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

In 2014, Ghana became the first Sub-Saharan country to establish a resident mission in Valletta, the Maltese capital. In the same year, both countries signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish a Joint Commission for Cooperation which enables them to deepen bilateral cooperation in areas including migration, tourism, medicine, education, fisheries, sports and candidature of diplomatic appointments.

Malta reciprocated the diplomatic ties by opening a resident mission in Accra in 2019, serving as its diplomatic mission in SSA.

Five years ago, the two signed an agreement on the waiver of visa requirements for holders of diplomatic and official/service passports.

Currently, Ghana is seeking the support of Malta and other Commonwealth member states for the candidature of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, as the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Secretariat.