Top official of ACBF to visit Ghana

Accra, July 24, GNA - Dr Soumano Sako, Executive Secretary of the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) is to pay a four-day official visit to Ghana from July 26 to 29. The visit is part of an on-going programme to sensitise ECOWAS countries on the sub-regional body's trade negotiation capacity building project.

It is also to brief the ECOWAS chairman, President John Agyekum Kufuor about the project and seek his personal endorsement and support for the project, which is expected to last for three years. Dr Douglas Zormelo, ACBF Project Director, who arrived in Ghana ahead of Dr Soumano's visit said the ECOWAS Trade Negotiation Capacity Building project would reinforce what member states were doing to increase the skills of negotiators in the region and also increase the number of negotiators in the region to engender effective multilateral trade negotiations.

This, he said included negotiations at the World Trade Organisation sessions, trade related aspects of their relationship with the European Union under the current Economic Partnership Agreement, and in negotiations for deepening regional integration within the ECOWAS region. The African Capacity Building Foundation and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) are funding the project with contribution from ECOWAS.

Before becoming the Executive Secretary of ACBF, Dr Sako was the Prime Minister of Mali and former Minister of Finance and Commerce. His visit to Ghana would include a courtesy call on President Kufuor, a meeting with Member of the Council of State, meeting with Mr Alan Kyeremateng, Minister for Trade and Industry and President's Special Initiatives and Dr Kofi Konadu-Apraku, Minister for Regional Integration and NEPAD