Prez Akufo-Addo presents credentials to four envoys

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has presented letters of credence to three ambassadors and a high commissioner to represent the interest of the country abroad.

They are Mr Edwin Nii Adjei, Australia; Nana Kwesi Arhin for Algeria, Mr Ramses Joseph Cleland, Switzerland; and Oheneba Dr Akyaa Opoku Ware who has been posted to Russia.

The President urged them to work to safeguard and promote the image and interests of Ghana in their respective postings.

Careful selection

The President said the four persons had been carefully chosen because “they are eminently fit to represent Ghana in their respective places of accreditation which have expressed satisfaction at their appointments.”

“I refer to Mr Edwin Nii Adjei, who is going to Canberra as our High Commissioner to the Commonwealth of Australia; Nana Kwesi Arhin, who is going to Algiers as our Ambassador to the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria; and Mr Ramses Joseph Cleland, who heads to Bern as our Ambassador to the Swiss Confederation,” he said.

The fourth, the President added, is “Oheneba Dr Akyaa Opoku Ware, a well-known medical practitioner, and, as her name connotes, a scion of the great Ashanti dynasty, will be off to the historic city of Moscow as our Ambassador to the Russian Federation.”

President Akufo-Addo reminded the envoys of the onerous responsibility of preserving and promoting the image of a country whose reputation among the comity of nations was currently high.

Visible symbol

“You represent a country that, as a result of the commendable conduct of the Ghanaian people, is regarded as one of the most stable on the continent, a beacon of democracy, which is governed by the rule of law and respect for individual liberties, human rights and the principles of democratic accountability.

You are the most visible symbol of our country out there, and in all your actions you must guard jealously our country’s image. I am confident this is a charge you will uphold,” he added.

Describing them as the “chief promoters of Ghana’s commercial interests,” President Akufo-Addo noted that they had the responsibility to drive private sector investment into Ghana.

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“Remember vividly the slogans of our flagship programmes, 1-District-1-Factory; 1-Village-1-Dam; Planting for Food and Jobs. They are descriptions of our commitment to the rapid development and transformation of the nation’s industrial and agricultural sectors. We are determined to create the appropriate macroeconomic environment which will attract domestic and foreign investment into these, the real sectors of our economy. You have to help in that exercise,” he prompted them.

The President further urged the envoys to strive to develop cordial working relations with the professional Foreign Service officers they would find at their duty posts, stressing that they have invaluable experience and knowledge of the terrain, which should help them work effectively.

In addition, he asked them to establish good rapport with the Ghanaian communities in their respective countries, as that will be vital to their prospects of success.

“They will be counting and looking up to you to champion not only our nation’s interests but theirs as well. Do your best not to disappoint them,” the President added.

Beyond aid

While working to strengthen the ties of cooperation that exist, as well as exploring other areas of effective cooperation, President Akufo-Addo urged the envoys to recall at all times the objective of  the government which was “to build a Ghana Beyond Aid, a Ghana which has an honest system of governance free of corruption, and which is self-reliant and exploiting its own resources with hard work, enterprise and creativity, to build the free, prosperous Ghana of the dreams of the founding fathers of our nation.”

Mr Adjei, who spoke on behalf of the others, expressed appreciation to the President for the confidence reposed in them.

He said guided by the vision of the President, they would work tirelessly to ensure that vision had the necessary buy-ins and the international clout for continued progress.

Mr Adjei, therefore, assured the President that they would not let him down.