President Mahama commissions new envoys
President John Dramani Mahama has commissioned two new ambassadors to Japan and Ethiopia. He urged them to prioritise Ghana’s economic interest as they deepened bilateral relations.
The new envoys are the Ambassador to Japan, Humphrey Chatio Ajongbah, and the Ambassador to Ethiopia, McArios Akanbeanab Akanbong.
At the swearing-in ceremony at the Jubilee House in Accra yesterday, President Mahama congratulated the appointees.
Experience
The President said as career diplomats with many years of experience, they understood their roles, and therefore, did not require extensive coaching.
“You are not political appointees who have to go to great lengths to be coached on what we expect of you. Your ministry has designed key performance indicators that you might follow,” he said.
The President, however, said that the job of ambassadors had evolved beyond traditional diplomacy and protocol to working actively for the country’s economic interests abroad.
Ties with Japan
President Mahama recalled Ghana’s long-standing relationship with Tokyo, noting that next year would mark 70 years of such diplomatic relations.
He highlighted the historical link between the two countries, as a result of which Dr Hideyo Noguchi, a Japanese scientist, came to Ghana where he later died, adding that “Japan takes that relationship very seriously”.
He also said that Ghana was the first country to receive Japanese overseas cooperation volunteers some 50 years ago through the special bond between the two nations.
The President directed the new ambassador to deepen the ties for the accelerated development of the country.
He mentioned some projects such as a new bridge over the Southern Volta River at Volivo – known as the Volivo Bridge, and other partnership agreement programmes by Japan in the country.
“You are going to continue to work on all these and also make sure that during your stay as ambassador, you will ensure other partnership agreements come into fruition,” President Mahama added.
The President described Addis Ababa as “virtually the capital of Africa,” where Ghana attends African Union (AU) meetings at least once every year.
He said the ambassador was assuming duty at a significant time when Ghana was currently the First Vice-Chair to the AU Bureau.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has nominated Ghana unopposed as Chair of the AU next year as West Africa takes its turn.
“We are going to assume a one-year chairmanship of the AU; which means that as ambassador, you are going to be extremely busy, especially at a time when people have really began complaining about whether the AU is serving the purpose for which we all created it for,” President Mahama said.
