Kufuor welcomes Togo's Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Accra, April 24, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor on Thursday welcomed the Togolese Government's efforts at healing the wounds of the country's political past through the institution of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

The move, he said, was undoubtedly going to enhance the peace and harmony in the neighbouring West African state and help the citizens to regard themselves as one people.

President Kufuor said this when he received a special envoy of Togo's President Faure Gnassingbe at the Castle, Osu. Mr. Pascal Bodjona, Minister of the Interior and Decentralization, who doubles as Government Spokesman, is in Accra to update President Kufuor on current political developments in Togo. Relations between Ghana and Togo in recent times have been excellent.

President Kufuor noted that the fortunes of the two sister nations were linked and it was proper that they kept each other adequately informed about happenings in their respective countries. He praised his Togolese counterpart for the good stewardship he was displaying both at home and within the sub-region and conveyed to him a message of goodwill ahead of the celebration of Togo's 48 years of nationhood on Sunday.

Mr. Bodjona said they were grateful to President Kufuor for his support and good counsel that had helped to restore his country on the path of peace and normalcy.

Also at the Castle was the Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Dr. Kandeh Yimkalla. He is in Accra for the 12th United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and hold bilateral discussions with Government Officials on ways to scale up his Organization's programmes in Ghana. President Kufuor said the challenge the nation, and for that matter Africa, was facing was how to add more value to their products to meet the quality standards of the market.

He noted, for example that, under the United States (US) African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), there were 6,400 products that could be exported to the US market.

He said even though the market was there, the country was unable to fully exploit it as it could not produce the volumes.

President Kufuor expressed appreciation to UNIDO for the planned programme support for the Suame Magazine.

He said the artisans and mechanics who had been servicing vehicles not only in the country but from neighbouring Burkina Faso and Mali, needed to be assisted with the technological know-how to improve their skills.