Ghana would take part in UN Conference on Development – Kufuor

Ghana would participate in the United Nations (UN) Conference on Financing For Development to be held in Mexico, next March.

President John Agyekum Kufuor, who announced this in Accra on Wednesday said: "We are totally resolved to develop. We need financing and Ghana will be there to see how we can realise this healthy development in our relationship with Mexico."

President Kufuor said this when Paris-based Mexican Ambassador Claude

Heller led a two-man delegation to deliver a special message from the Mexican President Vicente Fox to him at the State House.

The message was to officially invite President Kufuor to the Conference and seek Ghana's support for Mexico to secure a seat on the UN Security Council.

Ghana would be interested to participate in the Conference and would consider Mexico's request for support to secure a seat on the Security Council.

President Kufuor expressed his appreciation to the historical changes, which took place in both countries last year with the triumph of democracy in both countries.

While it took Mexico 70 years to change government through the ballot box, it took Ghana about 40 years to achieve the same feat during the last elections, he recalled, adding that the democratisation in both countries should be seen as a positive sign of development.

President Kufuor said efforts should be made to re-establish diplomatic ties which existed between both countries but has been dormant since 1972 due to financial constraints.

He observed that there has not been trade or bilateral relations between the two countries since that time, saying, "it is high time we examined how to put the goodwill between us into beneficial relationship".

President Kufuor said Mexico could consider how they could assist Ghana with oil supplies and promotion in the tourism sector as well as establish exchange programmes in education.

Heller said Mexico's foreign policy was to play an active role in the globalised world and saw the new government in Ghana as an important ally.