Ghana, France Strengthen Ties
President John Dramani Mahama and his French counterpart, President Emmanuel Macron, held high-level bilateral talks at the Élysée Palace on Wednesday, marking a significant milestone in the deepening diplomatic and economic relationship between Ghana and France.
The meeting, held at the official invitation of President Macron, followed the successful conclusion of the One Health Summit in Lyon, which both leaders co-chaired on Tuesday.
During the deliberations, President Macron expressed his profound gratitude to President Mahama for his leadership in co-chairing the Lyon summit.
Highlighting Ghana’s growing influence in global health policy, President Macron announced that Ghana has been selected as the first beneficiary of the newly introduced National Health Compact.
The French leader also lauded the Accra Reset Initiative, an ambitious framework introduced by President Mahama. Macron described the initiative as “very important,” noting that its principles were frequently referenced as a blueprint during the Lyon summit.
For his part, President Mahama expressed his appreciation for the warm reception and the opportunity to co-chair the One Health Summit, noting its critical importance to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and global pandemic preparedness.
On the economic front, President Mahama officially thanked France and China for their pivotal roles in supporting Ghana’s debt restructuring process.
He informed President Macron that the Ghanaian economy has shown remarkable resilience, stating that “the economy has bounced back and is doing very well, with very positive indicators.”
The two leaders discussed a broad range of development cooperation, including building on years of support from the French Development Agency (AFD), the Accra-Kumasi Expressway, ensuring food security through year-round farming initiatives, advancing Artificial Intelligence (AI) development and enhancing support for maternal health services.
President Mahama emphasised that the strength of the Ghana-France relationship is rooted in a shared commitment to democracy, the rules-based international system, and global peace.
“Ghana and France stand together on key issues of peace and security”, President Mahama stated, as the two leaders analysed the impact of global conflicts on distant regions and discussed strategies to maintain stability within the West African sub-region.
Prior to arriving at the Élysée Palace, President Mahama and his delegation met with the President of the French Senate.
Click to read more: https://opemsuo.com/author/hajara-fuseini/
