Two envoys receive letters of accreditation

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has charged Ghana’s ambassadors to Niger and Libya to protect the image of the country, establish deeper cooperation with those countries and protect Ghanaians there.

He said the ambassadors would be the most visible symbol of the country in the two countries to which they had been designated and as such they must guard their actions and jealously protect the image of Ghana.

He said he was confident that the ambassadors would uphold the charge entrusted to them.

The President gave the charge when he presented letters of credence to Dr Samuel Adotey Anum, the Ambassador designate to Libya, and Mr Jonathan Rexford Magnusen, who is bound for Niger, at a ceremony at the Jubilee House.

Ambassadors’ role

President Akufo-Addo reminded the ambassadors designate of their three-fold responsibilities — diplomatic, ceremonial and administrative — and urged them to bear in mind the onerous responsibility to preserve and promote the image of Ghana.

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

Solidarity

The President said the two envoys were going to countries which were experiencing terrorist activities and violent extremism and instability and urged them, as  representatives of a state that was in good standing, both in the ECOWAS and the African Union, to show support when it was needed.

He charged the two ambassadors to provide the needed support, on behalf of the country, to help find lasting solutions to those problems of aggression and also help protect Ghanaians who might be caught in the crisis.

He indicated that he was counting on them to bring their experience to bear to have the problems which had far-reaching consequences on the peace and stability of the ECOWAS region and the African continent resolved.

President Akufo-Addo further urged the two to deepen Ghana’s bond of cooperation with their countries of designation and explore other areas of cooperation that would inure to the mutual benefit of the peoples of both countries.

He said in doing that, they should bear in mind the objective of ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ — a country with honest systems of governance, free from corruption and which was self-reliant and exploiting its own resources for its own good through hard work, enterprise and creativity.

Cordial relations

The President also advised the ambassadors to strive to develop cordial working relations with the professional Foreign Service officers they would meet at the various missions, adding that those they would meet had invaluable experience and knowledge of the terrain which would help them work efficiently.

He advised that they would need the assistance of the Foreign Service officers, while the officers would also require their leadership, adding that “mutual respect is the key to a harmonious working relationship”.

Ghanaian community

He further encouraged them to build effective rapport with the Ghanaian communities at their duty posts, since that would be vital for their success.

“Additionally, the Ghanaian communities will be expectant and will be counting on and looking up to you to champion not only Ghana’s interests but theirs as well,” President Akufo-Addo said.

Response

In his response, on behalf of his colleague, Mr Magnuson thanked the President for the honour done them and the confidence reposed in them.

He said they had taken notice of the tasks and the charges placed on them.

“We are also very mindful of the challenges that confront the sub-region, particularly the maintenance of peace and security, as well as the need to promote the socio-economic aspirations and development of the people.

“To this end, we pledge to continually demonstrate loyalty and a commitment to promote the good image of Ghana,” he added.

Mr Magnuson also gave an assurance that they would promote the country’s socio-economic ideologies and inclinations and ensure the establishment of good relations between Ghana and the countries to which they had been accredited.