President lauds EU's contribution to Ghana's democracy

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has lauded the European Union's (EU) contribution to Ghana's sustained democratic development, assuring that the country would continue to entrench the principles of democracy.

He said Ghana cherished the contributions of the EU in addressing its challenges it and would continue to work with the bloc to further develop and improve the living conditions of its citizens.

President Akufo-Addo made these remarks when the outgoing EU Ambassador to Ghana, William Hanna, called at the Flagstaff House, in Accra, to bid farewell to him, on Wednesday.

During Mr Hanna’s for four-year tenure, there were fruitful and beneficial exchanges between the EU and Ghana.

The President, therefore, commended Mr Hanna for the success of his tenure, noting that Ghana-EU relations had been stronger during the period.

He expressed optimism about building on the achievements to facilitate the move from aid dependency to trade.

Mr Hanna, for his part, commended the Government for taking deliberate measures to stamp out corruption from the country.

He also praised the Government for the establishment of an independent office of Special Prosecution to investigate and prosecute corruption allegations, saying that the move would, to a large extent, help address that challenge in the country.

Mr Hanna said term in Ghana was "very enjoyable" and that the EU during that period had supported the Government and other state institutions to carry out their activities effectively.

Also the EU had help to engender confidence in Ghana's economy by making a number of investments in the country, with many European leaders enhancing economic cooperation with Ghana during their visits.

The outgoing envoy was full of respect for Ghana's democratic credentials, saying his tenure witnessed one of the most successful democratic changes of governments in the country.

He said the EU was proud to be associated with Ghana because its people had continually proved to the rest of the world that Africa had one of the best democracies in the world with the successful conduct of the election and the, subsequent, change of government.

The EU, he assured, would help Ghana to further develop and build strong institutions of state.