Saudi Arabia remains priority partner in the Gulf — Ayorkor Botchwey

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, has stated that Saudi Arabia will continue to be a priority partner for Ghana in the Gulf region.

She said Saudi Arabia had been Ghana’s oldest bilateral partner in the Gulf region and “the relations with Riyadh paved the way for the expansion of our bilateral relations to the rest of the countries in the region.”

The minister stated this at a meeting with her Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in Riyadh, yesterday to discuss bilateral relations between Ghana and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with a renewed commitment from both sides.

Ms Botchwey, who was on an official visit to the Gulf country, recalled that Ghana and Saudi Arabia had enjoyed cordial bilateral relations dating back to the 1960s and indicated that the bonds of friendship between the two countries had witnessed steady growth.

Appreciation

A statement from the Ministry said Ms Botchwey expressed her appreciation for the warm reception and courtesies extended to her and her delegation during the visit and extended warm greetings from President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

The minister mentioned the appreciation of the government and people of Ghana for the decision of the government of Saudi Arabia to donate 50 tonnes of date fruits to Ghana last year during the Ramadan season.

Ms Botchwey indicated that the donation was very symbolic, considering the fact that dates constituted a national symbol of Saudi Arabia, and also because it was personally from the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

She also thanked the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its contributions to vital areas of Ghana’s national development including education, health care, energy and road construction, as well as donations to build mosques, orphanages and the provision of safe drinking water in Islamic communities in Ghana.

Furthermore, she showed appreciation to the Saudi government for not only extending scholarships to young Muslim students to study in universities in Saudi Arabia, but also offering, through the Islamic Development Bank, annual scholarships to Ghanaian students to undertake courses in Turkish universities in medicine, pharmacy, engineering and veterinary science.

Strong economy

Ms Botchwey stated that since the outlook of Saudi economy was very positive and Ghana was also an oil-producing country, the two countries could work towards closer trade and investment cooperation in the field of oil and gas.

She mentioned, in particular, the government’s flagship programmes such as the One-district-One-factory, Planting for Food and Jobs, One-village-One dam, and the opportunities available for investors who would partner Ghanaian companies.

The minister indicated that Ghana had been a peaceful and stable country that offered a gateway to the entire West African market and beyond for the investment interests of Saudi Arabian industries, and welcomed opportunities to form mutually beneficial strategic alliances in that regard.

Saudi impressed

For his part, Prince Faisal expressed delight at the cordial relations between the two countries.

He said the Kingdom was ready to welcome President Akufo-Addo for a state visit in February, to further strengthen the ties between the two countries and also attract investment into Ghana for mutual benefit.