Ambassadors-designate present Letters of Credence

Three ambassadors-designates from Egypt, Switzerland and the Netherlands, on Thursday presented their Open Letters of Credence to Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, Minister of Foreign Affairs in Accra.

They are Ekram Mohamed, of Egypt, George Zubler of Switzerland and Aca Van Der Wiel of the Netherlands. Owusu-Agyemang told Mohamed that although there is a lot of cooperation between Egypt and Ghana, there is more room for improvement.

He noted that there is a long standing relationship between the two countries and said Egypt's past support for the integration of Africa is most relevant in the scheme of things in the world now.

Mohamed said he would work towards enhancing co-operation between the two countries in the fields of energy, transport, communication and any other areas that could promote national growth.

Zubler commended the government for making good governance its priority and said the Swiss government is working on a credit facility plan for banks in Ghana to support small and medium-size enterprises.

He said he would build upon the existing relationship between the two countries during his tenure of office. Owusu-Agyemang said the credit facility is welcome adding that the government is now moving from project to budget support.

He said such a scheme would speed growth within the private sector, which creates employment and generates wealth. The Foreign Minister referred to a vote by the Swiss to join the UN last September and appealed to the Ambassador-designate to help in the rehabilitation of the country's prisons.

Owusu-Agyemang reminded the Dutch Ambassador-designate of the long-standing cordial relationship between the two countries and said he hoped there would be enhanced co-operation between the two countries.

The Dutch Ambassador-designate said his country's relationship with Ghana, especially in commerce, is exceptional in Africa and pledged to promote commercial activities.