Moroccan King arrives Ghana

The King of Morocco, King Mohammed VI, arrived in the country yesterday for a three-day working visit.

He arrived at the Kotoka International Airport at 4:20 pm and met on arrival by a government delegation led by Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia together with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway; Education Minister, Dr Mathew Opoku-Prempeh; Information Minister, Mustapha Hamid and Director of State Protocol, Hassan Ahmed.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the King moved straight to the Movenpick Hotel in Accra where he has been lodging with his entourage.

King Mohammed is expected to meet with President Akufo-Addo at the Flagstaff House this afternoon for discussions bordering on issues of mutual benefit to their respective countries, after which his host would treat him to lunch.

He is also expected to meet the business community to explore possible business opportunities for Ghana and Morocco.

Later in the day, the King would visit the Bank of Africa for some discussions with management of the bank.

King Mohammed leaves Ghana for Morocco on Saturday, February 18.

He’s the second child and oldest son of King Hassan II and his second wife, Lalla Latifa Hammou.

On the day of his birth, Mohammed was appointed Heir Apparent and Crown Prince of Morocco.

His father was keen on giving him a religious and political education from an early age; and so at the age of four, he started attending the Qur’anic school at the Royal Palace.

Mohammed completed his primary and secondary education at Royal College and attained his Baccalaureate in 1981, before obtaining a bachelor’s degree in law at the Mohammed V University, Agdal in 1985.

His research paper dealt with “The Arab-African Union and the Strategy of the Kingdom of Morocco in matters of International Relations”.

He has also frequented the Imperial College and University of Rabat.

Mohammed was later appointed President of the Pan-Arab Games, and was commissioned a Colonel Major of the Royal Moroccan Army on 26 November, 1985.

He served as the Coordinator of the Offices and Services of the Royal Armed Forces until 1994.

In 1987, Mohammed obtained his first Certificat d’Études Supérieures (CES) in political science, and in July 1988, he obtained a Diplôme d’Études Approfondies (DEA) in public law.

Later in November 1988, he trained in Brussels with Jacques Delors, then President of the European Commission.

Mohammed obtained his PhD in law with distinction on 29 October, 1993 from the French University of Nice Sophia Antipolis for his thesis on “EEC-Maghreb Relations.”

On 12 July, 1994, he was promoted to the military rank of Major General, and that same year, he became President of the High Council of Culture and Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Moroccan Army.

He speaks Arabic, English, Spanish and French.