AMBASSADOR BAAH-DUODU PRESENTS CREDENTIALS IN SWITZERLAND

His Excellency Mr. Kwabena Baah-Duodu, the new Ambassador of the Republic of Ghana to the Swiss Confederation, presented his credentials to the President of Switzerland, His Excellency Mr. Moritz Leuenberger at the Federal Palace in Berne, on Thursday, October 19th 2006.

Also present at the ceremony were the Swiss Federal Chancellor, Miss Annemarie Huber-Hotz, the Chief of Protocol, Ambassador Willy Holds, and other senior officials from the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs. Ambassador Baah-Duodu was accompanied by Mr. Daniel Okaiteye-Blessyn, First Secretary and two other officials from the Embassy of Ghana, Berne.

During discussions with the Federal President, His Excellency Mr. Kwabena Baah-Duodu extended to the former, the Government and People of Switzerland, the best wishes of President John Agyekum Kufuor, the Government and People of Ghana. He traced the cordial relations existing between the two countries from the arrival of the Basel Missionaries in the early 1820s on the shores of what is now Ghana to the present and stated his Government’s appreciation of the several Swiss bilateral economic and technical assistance to Ghana. He affirmed his determination to work to further intensify those relations during his tenure of office.

President Leuenberger expressed his admiration for Ghana’s leadership role in West Africa in particular and Africa in general. He recalled with fondness his interaction with President Kufuor during the recent session of the U.N. General Assembly and added that he was highly impressed with the speech delivered by His Excellency as it touched on pertinent regional and global issues. President Leuenberger also stated his admiration of Ghanaian diplomats in general and of the UN Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan in particular for their contribution to world peace and security.

Answering a question on Ghana, the new Ambassador underscored the peaceful political atmosphere in the country and the way the current Government’s policies had led to the resurgence of the economy. He pointed out, however, that it was Ghana’s desire that such peace would be woven into West Africa’s socio-political fabric. He observed that what Switzerland and Ghana had in common was their burning desire for peace and development in freedom. He expressed the hope that Switzerland would continue to assist Ghana to enable her to be successful in that regard.

Given the pivotal role the private sector is expected to play in Ghana’s economy, Ambassador Baah-Duodu called for further Swiss assistance to that sector in order to strengthen its performance. He again urged the Swiss Government to support the country’s human resource development efforts. He stated that the Government of Ghana would welcome investment in and the transfer of technological know-how to the country to encourage the processing and value addition of more raw materials, including cocoa, gold and aluminum in the country, prior to their exports.

At the end of the discussion, both the Federal President and the new Ambassador pledged to further enhance the already cordial relations existing between Ghana and Switzerland for their common good.

In a speech, delivered at a reception later in the evening, Ambassador Baah-Duodu, expressed his gratitude to President Kufuor for giving him the opportunity to serve Ghana in this capacity and pledged to promote and enhance the economic and technical cooperation between Ghana and Switzerland. He also called on Swiss investors to take advantage of the numerous investment opportunities in Ghana, adding that the “economic potentials are as welcoming as the investment policies are conducive”. He further pledged the Embassy’s preparedness to assist all potential investors, both foreigners and Ghanaians who genuinely seek to do business with Ghana.

To his compatriots resident in Switzerland, the new Ambassador emphasized that their welfare was his priority and urged them to keep in touch regularly with the Missions in Berne and Geneva, whenever the need arose as those Missions were established to seek their interests. He announced that apart from the daily consular services being provided by the two Missions and barring any emergencies, he would devote the last Friday and the third Friday of each month to ‘open surgeries’ at the two Missions respectively. He elaborated that during the days earmarked each Ghanaian who wants to see the Ambassador could literally walk into his office.

Ambassador Baah-Duodu, who is also the Permanent Representative of Ghana to the United Nations Office in Geneva and to the World Trade Organisation [WTO] presented his credentials to H.E. Mr. Sergei Ordzhonikidze, the Director-General of the United Nations Office and Mr. David Lamy, Director-General of the WTO in Ghana on September 25th, 2006 and October 9th 2006, respectively.

Since the beginning of his career as a diplomat, which spans almost 30 years, His Excellency Mr. Baah-Duodu has held several positions both within the Foreign Ministry in Accra and Ghana’s diplomatic missions in Geneva (Switzerland), New Delhi (India), (Seoul) South Korea, London (United Kingdom).

Born in Dwenase (near Osino) in the Eastern Region of Ghana, Mr. Baah-Duodu was educated at Bomdwen Primary School, Ghana Secondary School, Koforidua, University of Ghana, Legon, University of Nairobi, Kenya and Georgetown University, Washington D.C., where he was a Diplomatic Associate

He is married to Edith. They have four children; Eugene, Samuel, Eudora and Michael.