President Mahama receives former Brazilain President

President John Dramani on Friday commended Brazil for initiating numerous economic measures that had catapulted them to higher economic strides in the last few years.

He said: “We are all encouraged that Brazil has progressed under the leadership of former President Da Silva and the country is still progressing under the current regime.”

President Mahama made this commendation when former President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva led a 15-member delegation to call on him at the Flagstaff House.

The former President is in the country at the invitation of the State Insurance Corporation to give a special lecture to mark their 50th Anniversary.

The former Brazilian President had earlier visited Equatorial Guinea and would be leaving Ghana on Sunday for Benin and later to Nigeria.

President Mahama said Brazil and Africa had same historical links and would therefore emulate and replicate some of the social protection programmes Brazil had initiated and succeeded with.

He said Ghana was striving to become a middle income country and would therefore collaborate with other countries to build relations and Brazil would be instrumental in that respect.

Mr Da Silva expressed his satisfaction at the rate at which Africa was democratizing and gave assurance that the continent would rise up to the occasion in the subsequent years.

He said he had visited 33 African countries and realized that the fate of Brazil was linked with that of Africa and would therefore collaborate with the African countries for them to realize their dreams.

Former President Da Silva commended Ghana for her democratic credentials and urged Ghanaians to continue to encourage their peers in that regard to avoid perennial conflicts and wars that had come out as a result of elections.