Akufo-Addo returns from China, Rwanda

President Akufo-Addo has returned home on Saturday evening after a successful visit to China and Rwanda.

Briefing journalists on arrival at the Jubilee Lounge of the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) in Accra, Director of Communications at the presidency, Eugene Arhin, described the President’s five-day state visit to China as very successful because Ghana was able to attract investments and financial agreements in China.

China

In China, President Akufo-Addo and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, signed a total of eight cooperation agreements and apart from the $2 billion Sinohydro barter agreement which would facilitate infrastructure development in Ghana.

The Chinese President announced a $30 million grant for Ghana’s economic development and reiterated his commitment towards the construction of the James Town Fishing Complex, expansion of Cape Coast Sports Stadium, extension work at the University of Health and Allied Sciences and the construction of a new cocoa processing facility.

Jinping announced also a $7.3 million grant in military assistance including the construction of a new Ghana Armed Forces Headquarters. He offered also to provide vehicles for the Ghana Police Service.

Education

In the area of education, the Chinese President pledged to increase the number of Ghanaians students on scholarship in China notwithstanding the fact that Ghana is the African country with the highest number of students on scholarship in that country.

An agreement was also signed for the construction of a $380 million LPG re-gasification facility at Tema. The project which is expected to produce two million tonnes of LPG, leading to a reduction in the nation’s reliance on crude, would take 18 months to complete and would generate 1,600 jobs.

Meanwhile, the Director of Communications said Sinotruk International has agreed to set up an assembly plant in Ghana to serve the whole of West Africa while a computer company, Inspur Group, has also decided to establish its West African headquarters in Ghana.

Rwanda

In Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, President Akufo-Addo participated in the 2018 Africa Green Revolution Forum, a platform for global and African leaders to develop actionable plans that will move agriculture in Africa forward.

The panel members included President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame; Vice President of Kenya, William Ruto, and the Prime Minister of Gabon, Emmanuel Issoze-Ngodet.