Ghana’s democracy vibrant — Outgoing Israeli Ambassador
The outgoing Israeli Ambassador to Ghana, Slhlomit Sufa, has described Ghana's democracy as a shining example.
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"I find Ghana's democracy to be very vibrant," she said, pointing out the level of passion with which political discussions were carried out. She said the political discourse in Ghana was similar to that of Israel, where people felt strongly and passionately about their country.
Similarities
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Graphic after a three-year duty tour to Ghana, Mrs Sufa said, "this is by the way, one of the many elements in which Israel and Ghana are so similar."
Mrs Sufa identified the strong commitment of Ghanaians towards seeing the country progress as an aspect that was similar in Israel.
She observed that though there were different groups that held strong opinions, they were all looking for "the best for Ghana and you want the best for Ghanaians.” "The same goes for the various groups in Israel. They want the best for their country," she stated, explaining that it was something that was similar between the two countries.
2024 elections
Asked to comment on the upcoming general election in Ghana, she said even though it was not her place to comment on domestic affairs of her host country, she said her wish was that any time there were elections in both Israel and Ghana, those elections were done peacefully, ensuring that the true will of the citizens was upheld.
She said such elections should be orderly, devoid of violence and all should be law abiding by following the rule of law.
Agriculture
Touching on Israel-Ghana relations in the area of agriculture, Mrs Sufa said one of the flagships programmes between the two countries was the 11-month internship programme of Ghanaian agriculture students in Israel.
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She said in Israel the students combined their academic work and hands-on practical work experience on some Israeli farms, where they were paid monthly stipend, which was sufficient enough to be seed money for them upon their return.
The Ambassador explained that from an initial 50 students in 2018, the number had been progressively increased to 200 as of last year.
She described the internship programme as “a very good programme”, saying that the students always benefited a lot from it and was hopeful that through that the students would contribute to the growth of Ghana’s agricultural sector.
“The number is currently being reviewed upward,” she hinted, though she said there were a number of constraints.
More to do
Asked if given the opportunity, there was something she would do differently, the Ambassador said it would not be differently, it would rather be more.
“Currently we have in the pipeline, programmes that address cooperation in the fields of mental health, agriculture, cyber security and other sectors. So, we have all kinds of programmes in the pipeline.”
“Remember, Israel is also one of the founding fathers of the Ghana digital innovation week, which will be held later in the year. It was officially launched two weeks ago,” she stated.
Tree planting
Mrs Sufa said the dream of the embassy that it was able to accomplish was the planting of the Jerusalem Forest near the Shai Hills on June 10 as part of Ghana’s Greening Ghana Day to make Ghana greener, healthier and more environmentally conscious.
“We are happy to have been able to contribute to the implementation of that very ambitious programme,” she said, adding that it was in line with what happened yearly in Israel.
She indicated that in Israel, a national holiday was declared in the middle of February every year, known as the Jewish Holiday, where everyone in Israel went out to plant trees.
Mrs Sufa said trees and vegetation were very important in Israel and that was why a national holiday was declared so that all the children would learn about the importance of trees and the environment from their young age.
“So, for us to come to Ghana as Israelis and continue with this goal and contribute to Ghana’s agenda, that is a dream come true,” Mrs Sufa told the Daily Graphic.
Writer’s Email: severious.dery@gmail.com.gh
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