Ghana pledges $3million for Mali operations
The government has pledged $3 million to support the ongoing African Union (AU) operations in Mali.
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President John Dramani Mahama made the pledge at a donor's conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Tuesday.
The conference was held on the sidelines of the 20th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Ghana's Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni, made this known to the press after the arrival of President Mahama home from the summit.
He said the $3 million pledge was in addition to Ghana's contribution of engineers regiment to the France-led operations in Mali.
At the Golden Jubilee Lounge of the Kotoka International Airport to welcome President Mahama back home, was Vice-President Paa Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur, the Chief of Staff, Mr Prosper Douglas Bani; the caretaker Minister of Defence, Lt Gen J.H. Smith; the caretaker Minister of the Interior, Mr Kwesi Aboah; a former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Chris Kpodo, and the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mr Mohammed Alhassan.
President Mahama, who was the first Head of State to address the summit, was applauded by his colleagues for his victory in the December 7, 2012 election.
He also interacted with the Ghanaian community, during which he told them of Ghana's economic and democratic growth and prospects.
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Alhaji Mumuni said President Mahama's message of hope for Africa and consensus building was received well by his colleague Heads of State.
He said the summit discussed issues relating to the economy, peace and security, with measures to restore order in Mali as the main focus.
Alhaji Mumuni said the Heads of State had fixed May 25, 2013, for the 50th anniversary of the Organisation of African Unity/African Union.
Before returning home, President Mahama, who met sections of the Ghanaian community in Ethiopia, affirmed the government's resolve to develop the gas infrastructure and use it to generate electricity for the country.
That, he said, was crucial because the supply of gas from the West Africa Gas Pipeline was unreliable.
The President said the current frequent power cuts in the country was as a result of the lack of gas to generate enough power following the break in the supply of gas from the West Africa Gas Pipeline.
He said the government would facilitate work on the gas infrastructure in the Western Region to support power generation and ensure sustainable energy supply.
President Mahama said Ghana's economy was doing well, with provisional indicators predicting that the economy would grow by nine per cent this year.
He said the government would continue to pursue prudent policies to maintain and grow the macro economy.
The President stressed the need for Ghanaians, especially public and civil servants, to change their attitude to work.
That, he said, was crucial to reduce bureaucracy in government business.
On democracy, President Mahama said Ghana continued to make progress, and cited the December 7, 2012, election as an example.
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He reiterated the government's commitment to continue to strengthen Ghana's democracy.
Story by Musah Yahaya Jafaru