Accra – The re-elected President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, stressed last Thursday, in Accra, the intention of his country to strengthen cooperation with Angola, in several domains, beyond those areas in which a relationship already exists.
Nana Akufo-Addo expressed this interest during the audience he granted to the Vice President of Angola, Bornito de Sousa, who on Thursday represented the Head of State, João Lourenço, at the swearing-in ceremony of the Ghanaian President, for a four-year new term in office.
During the audience, which took place before the ceremony of President Nana Akufo-Addo, Bornito de Sousa delivered a message from the Angolan Head of State, João Lourenço, to his Ghanaian counterpart.
Meanwhile, the secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Esmeralda Mendonça, who witnessed the meeting between the two personalities, declared to the press that the message from the Angolan statesman addresses issues related to the importance of the Free Trade Zone, the partnership between the UN and the African Union, among other matters.
She added that the referred message also touches on aspects related to the South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone, an organization of which Angola and Ghana are members.
Created in 1986, the South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone promotes regional cooperation and the maintenance of peace and security in the South Atlantic region.
The secretary of State said that one of the main reasons for the creation of the South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone is the fight against terrorism, piracy, and other evils that endanger regional peace and security.
Role of the ECOWAS/ECCAS Presidency
Esmeralda Mendonça stressed the importance of Ghana holding the rotating presidency of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and of Angola leading the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), which "will allow joining synergies for the establishment of policies that promote continental peace and security".
In this context, she defended the reevaluation of several legal instruments, as they are no longer in line with reality, since they were initialed in 1976, the date of the establishment of diplomatic relations with Ghana.
Other meetings
On the sidelines of the swear in ceremony, Bornito de Sousa had also courtesy meeting with the President of the African Union Commission, Mousaa Faki Mahamat, and with the General Secretary of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), Makele Mene.
On the occasion, Makele Mene announced his future visit to Angola to thank the support given by the Angolan authorities on his election as the head of COMESA.
