Mahama meets France’s Hollande and a host of PMs

President John Dramani Mahama has held separate meetings with President Francois Hollande of France, Prime Minister Taavi Roivas of Estonia, Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen of Finland, British Foreign Secretary William Hague, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy Brey and the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, on the margins of the 4th EU-Africa Summit in Brussels, Belgium.

The bilateral discussions centered largely around President Mahama’s new role as the Chair of the Economic Community of West African States, (ECOWAS), investment opportunities in Ghana and the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the EU and ECOWAS.

President Francois Hollande congratulated Mr. Mahama on his election and pledged to lend a helping hand, if asked, in dealing with any crisis in the sub-region. President Mahama thanked the French leader for hosting the Summit on African Security last year and also for his government’s valuable military and humanitarian interventions in Mali, Cote d’Ivoire and the Central African Republic.

President Mahama assured France and the international community that Ghana will continue to pursue a policy of good neighbourliness with her neighbouring countries. The two leaders also discussed Ghana’s economic performance, investment opportunities in the sectors of energy, agriculture, and urban development, as well as the EPA.

The Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte lauded Ghana’s leadership in regional matters and also commended the country’s economic growth. Prime Minister Rutte announced that a Trade Mission from the Netherlands will be visiting Ghana in June 2014 to explore areas where his country’s expertise and investments could be deployed.

Still on the margins of the 4th EU-Africa Summit, President Mahama held bilateral discussions with the Prime Minister of Finland Jyrki Katainen, the Prime Minister of Estonia Taavi Roivas, and the Prime Minister of Spain, Mariano Rajoy Brey as well as British Foreign Secretary, William Hague. They discussed economic growth, Africa, including the ECOWAS sub-region and investment opportunities in Ghana.