I'll maintain and strengthen Ghana's relations with France - Mahama
The president-elect, John Dramani Mahama, has assured that Ghana under his leadership will seek to deepen the bilateral relations it has with France and build upon the gains the relationship has already yielded.
With France in recent times changing the approach of the relationship from one of benefactor-dependant to a win-win relationship carved out of mutual respect, Ghana would want to maintain that relationship and even build on it as it was the way to go, Mr Mahama indicated.
The president-elect said this when the French Ambassador to Ghana, Jule Armand Aniambossou, paid a courtesy call on him on December 24, 2024.
Mr Aniambossou had visited to deliver a message of congratulations from the French President, Emmanuel Macron, to Mr Mahama on his successful election as the President of Ghana.
Accompanying the Ambassador were some senior officials of the Embassy, while an aide of the President-elect, Julius Debrah also sat in the meeting.
Message
The message, signed by Mr Macron read: "Following the official announcement of the results confirming your election as President of the Republic of Ghana, I would like to congratulate you warmly and wish you every success in the mandate that the people of Ghana have once again given to you.
"The exemplary conditions under which the general elections were held on December 7, like all Ghanaian elections since 1992, are testament to Ghana's democratic tradition and the civic sense of the Ghanaian people.
"I eagerly look forward to working with you to strengthen our bilateral relations in all areas, particularly, in the economic and cultural sectors.
"In this respect, I applaud Ghana's accession to the status of full membership of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie; a move which will enable us to cooperate more closely in the teaching of French in Ghana, in the interest of the Ghanaian youth and of regional integration.
"I wish you and the people of Ghana continued prosperity and peace. Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurance of my highest consideration," Mr Macron's message concluded.
Response
In response to the message, Mr Mahama said he enjoyed the working relationship Ghana had with France during his first tenure and was happy that the relationship and even been strengthened over the years, and he intended to further build on that.
He said he was happy that Ghana had joined the Francophie community, but that should be more people-centred and beneficial to people instead of it being just an institution.
"The opportunity to be part of the Francophonie organisation is not only important but also strategic given that Ghana is surrounded by francophone countries, hence the need to have common interests.
"However, this opportunity should not be just an institution, but to be of practical benefit by being people-centred with tangible benefits," the President-elect stated.
He said he also looked forward to playing his part to ensure that the relations are not just strengthened, but it also help France achieve its new approach of the win-win friendship.
The French Ambassador also used the opportunity to update the President-elect on some of the initiatives France has supported in recent times and what needs to be continued.
Mr Aniambossou said the focus of France's support to Ghana has been on security and efforts to curb counter-terrorism, military cooperation, academic and scientific partnership, support for the creative and cultural industries.
Also, he stated that there has been improved support of France's development agency, Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD) for key development projects .
"Mr President-elect, this is to brief you on the current direction of our relationship; but the message from France is that at any given time, it is not in our place to impose our development plan, but rather, work in close collaboration to achieve what you consider your priority. That is what we mean a win-win relationship that is built on mutual respect," the Ftench Ambassador said.