“My coming to Ghana is for a simple reason. My message is to come and say thank you. We have a proverb in our own saying: ‘If you want to praise a farmer and you want to thank him for a remarkable job, a job well done, you have to visit him at his or her farm. That is why I am here today. I could have written a letter or sent a Minister, but I said that is not enough. I have to come and say thank you.”
These were the words of the new President of the Republic of The Gambia, Adama Barrow, when he paid a courtesy call on President Akufo-Addo, at the Presidency, on Friday, April 28, 2017, in a one-day visit to Ghana.
It will be recalled that on January 19, 2017, barely two weeks after taking office, President Akufo-Addo approved and authorised the deployment of a combat team of two hundred and eight (208) troops, backed with the appropriate logistical equipment, to The Gambia as part of the ECOWAS Mission in that country.
The objective was to create an enabling environment for the effective enforcement of the rule of law, and, in accordance with the Constitution of The Gambia, facilitate the inauguration of the President-Elect, Adama Barrow, after the refusal of President Yahaya Jammeh to accept the verdict of the Gambian people in the elections of December 1, 2016
It is for this reason that President Adama Barrow arrived in Ghana to personally thank his Ghanaian counterpart for the support offered him and the people of Gambia.
“ECOWAS Heads of State, including yourself, intervened in The Gambia. You intervened to defend democracy, you intervened to defend the verdict of the Gambian people, (and) you intervened to defend the truth. I think, Africa has come very far now. The problem was an African problem, and the solution was an African solution. That is a credit to all Africans,” he said.
The Gambian President was unequivocal that “Africa cannot move forward without the principles of democracy. We contested elections based on those principles, and we will continue to advocate for the same principles.”
He was grateful for the warm welcome afforded him by President Akufo-Addo and reiterated his desire to foster strong bilateral relations between the two countries, indicating that “Ghana has gone far, and we are here also to learn, so that we can gain experience. We need your support.”
On his part, President Akufo-Addo stated that “it is a joy for us to see you here with us in Ghana. I will always have you closely associated with my memory because one of the first important decisions I had to take when I became President was over The Gambia. And that was the decision I made to support the ECOWAS military force with Ghanaian troops.”
According to President Akufo-Addo, the decision to intervene in The Gambian impasse was for three reasons: firstly, to ensure that the will of the Gambian people was not thwarted by an outgoing President; secondly, for the opportunity for ECOWAS to act as a collective unit with a common purpose and objective; and, thirdly, the peaceful resolution of the crisis through diplomacy and the threat of military intervention.
“All of that means that the actions that ECOWAS took, which was supported actively by some of us, stand vindicated by history. You have become a symbol of all of that,” President Akufo-Addo said.
He continued, “Ghana, today, is determined to go down the path of democratic accountability. Our people have indicated on several occasions, in the last generation, how attached they are to democratic values and the principles of democratic accountability.
For us, you are a good friend, a friend fighting the same cause our people have embarked on, that is, developing our nations under free political institutions, and giving the right to our people at any one stage to decide who should govern them in a peaceful and dignified manner.”
President Akufo-Addo assured President Adama Barrow that “Ghana has been a friend, is a friend and will still continue to be a friend” to the Gambia.
President Adama Barrow has since left for The Gambia.
Source: Peacefmonline.com
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Oh this is true! So even the president did not notice that the flag has been turned upside down? What a shame.
Did anyone notice that the Ghana flag in Akufo Addo's office has been turned upside down? This is called incompetence.
A president or former President of Ghana must ideally remain in Ghana and help with the governance of the country. By accepting the position in the English Masonic lodge Kufuor ceases to be a Ghanaian and must therefore lose all rights and privileges accorded former leaders of Ghana. In Ghana we believe that the African is capable of managing his own affairs but we acknowledge our collective deficiencies in knowledge. The Queen of England barred British judges from becoming freemasons because of favors being traded. If the Queen took that action then why should Kufuor still enjoy his right and privileges within Ghana and the African continent. Kufuor must lose access to all sensitive information regarding the government of Ghana and the African Union. O
I love President Mahama to the moon. I think those saying he should have been invited got it wrong. The thank you is not directed at an individual, it's for the role the most beautiful, most democratic and most peaceful country in the world called Ghana played in insuring a smooth transition in Ghana. We're about 25 million population and there's no better person to receive the thank you other the sitting president. He received it for us Ghanaians and we should be proud of ourselves.
@Onua MILITARY INSURRECTION IS NOW A THING OF THE PAST IN ECOWAS. Fantastic comment. I like your comment waaaa....
You see human bein? when it was difficulty time Nana Addo was smart to send Former president Mahama to go and see to it that peace is restored in Gambia. For which a section of Ghanaians were asking why Nana himself did not go or send his voice. And some people also said Mahama started settling that issue and should be ask to finished it. But now that it is credit time Mahama is no more needed. This one de3 Nana no try. Barow himself should have known better by meeting to thank the two of them (Nana Addo and Mahama). Credit must go to one that deserves it.
Our president no force kraaaaaaa,he should have invited Maham,bcos he did all the donkey work and even after loosing nana Addo appointed him to go and finish the work he began at Gambia and now u are receiving the glory alone.shaaaam on u mr. president
IF ADAMA BARROW KNOWS HOW RECKLESS THIS IIIDIOOT IS,,, HE WOULD NOT THROW THIS FRENZY FLATTERY AT HIM.
THE THANK YOU IS FOR GHANA BUT IT WOULD BEEN MORE RESPECTFUL IF PREZ MAHAMA WAS IN THE MEETING TOO. WE CANNOT DENY THE DIFFICULT ROLE HE PLAYED. OPANA DID NOT DO ANYTHING. ITS ALSO SELFISH NOT TO INCLUDE HIM
I know some selfish individuals like KB will say Prez Mahama shd be praised instead. They forget that this Thank You is for Ghana and not an individual. Prez NADAA only received it on our behalf. You have to be Patriotic at times....can't alsobe selfishly partisan!