President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has expressed the appreciation of the Ghanaian people to Norway for the considerable support they have offered Ghana through various interventions.
He said, Norway’s “Oil for Development Programme”, which has been running successfully for more than a decade, has enhanced Ghana's capacity to manage her petroleum resources.
The President made this known when the visiting Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg paid a courtesy call on him at the Jubilee House, as part of her two-day official visit to Ghana.
He was delighted with Norway’s new partner country initiative, which is aimed at ensuring that partner countries become independent of aid in the long term, saying, "This `fits in perfectly with Government’s vision of a ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’.
President Akufo-Addo said Ghana and Norway had enjoyed fruitful relations over many years, and the visit by Prime Minister Solberg, the first by a leader of that country, was aimed at reinforcing the strong ties of friendship and co-operation that already exist between both nations.
He noted that Ghana and Norway shared similar positions on many issues, especially the mutual attachment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, to the Paris Climate Accord, to the strengthening of the multilateral system of international co-operation, and to the need to employ peaceful means to resolve disputes.
The President reassured the Norwegian leader of Ghana's commitment to the find lasting solutions to the great issues of the day.
“I wish to reassure you that the Republic of Ghana will continue to collaborate with the Kingdom of Norway, at the bilateral and multilateral levels, in finding solutions to challenges such as the eradication of widespread poverty, elimination of irregular migration, insecurity and human rights violations, terrorism and violent extremism, human and drug trafficking, piracy, as well as climate change and its attendant impact on the environment and livelihoods,” he added
President Akufo-Addo further expressed satisfaction about the “Fish for Development” initiative signed by the two countries, and looked forward to its implementation because "it will have a positive impact on the management of our marine resources for the creation of wealth and jobs, particularly in fishing communities, in line with the realisation of SDG Number. 14."
“We are also grateful for the assistance offered to the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, and the Ghana Nautical College, amongst others,” he added.
Encouraged that more Norwegian companies were looking to invest in Ghana, the President said his government would ensure that the climate for doing business in Ghana remained very conducive for investors
He said the presence of Norwegian Oil and gas giant, Aker Energy, in Ghana was a show of the confidence the international business and investment community had in the Ghanaian economy, adding that he was pleased with the commitment of Aker "to work with us to engineer and inspire the industrial development of our country, and help us achieve the structural transformation of our economy.”
“I wish to assure the more than fifty Norwegian companies operating in our country that my government will continue to try and maintain a conducive investment atmosphere that would not only guarantee the safety of their investments, but also good returns on investments as well,” he said.
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