Ghana honours outgoing British High Commissioner

Accra, March 10, GNA - Ghana on Wednesday honoured Dr Roderick Allen Pullen, outgoing British High Commissioner with the State Honour of Grand Medal (Honorary) Division.

President John Agyekum Kufuor decorated Dr Pullen with the medal while Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Minister of Foreign Affairs, read the citation.

Dr Pullen 55, who is leaving Ghana after three-and-a half-years duty-tour was honoured when he paid a farewell call on President Kufuor at the Castle, Osu.

The citation read: "With determination you deepened the bond of friendship between Ghana and the United Kingdom (UK) and made singular effort for President Kufuor to visit the UK in September 2001 and a reciprocal visit by the British Prime Minister Tony Blair in February 2002.

"You have helped to raise relations between the UK and Ghana to a higher level of co-operation and understanding. of the Accra Office of the Department For International Development (DFID), an important machinery for providing assistance toward the economic development of our country and British assistance in the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC)".

President Kufuor said Britain contributed immensely in ensuring that the 2000 General Elections were conducted in a truly free and fair manner that had left a landmark in Ghana's democratisation. He asked Dr Pullen to continue to play an advocacy role for Ghana. Dr Pullen said there had been tremendous improvement in the socio-economic development in Ghana since independence.

He expressed appreciation to the Government for the democratic rule, economic reforms, transparency, good governance and human rights prevailing in Ghana.

Dr Pullen said he was happy to have worked to promote relations between Ghana and Britain, adding that the relations continued to grow from strength to strength.