Accra, July 22, GNA - The outgoing French and Japanese Ambassadors on Tuesday called separately at the Castle, Osu, to bid farewell to President John Agyekum Kufuor.
Mr Pierre Jacquemot, French Ambassador and Mr Masamchi Ishikawa, Japanese Ambassador, are leaving at the end of their duty tour. The pair expressed satisfaction with the level of bilateral co-operation and partnership between their countries and Ghana. Mr Jacquemot described as "amazing" the tremendous improvement the country was making in all sectors of the economy and specifically mentioned education and health.
The capitation grant and the school feeding programme and the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), he said, were making significant impact on education delivery and the quality of life of the people.
"The three-and-a-half years I spent here have been a marvellous time. There have been so many changes and it is most amazing." He spoke of the need for continued partnership between Ghana and France, saying, "there is a lot to learn from you and a lot to learn from us."
The Ambassador paid glowing tribute to the nation for the wonderful hospitality of the people and said; "here has been an easy place to work as a diplomat". President Kufuor thanked the French Government for its support for the country's development efforts. The landmark National Identification Project was launched through the 30-million dollar assistance from France. He noted that the success of the exercise would allow for proper development planning by the Government. President Kufuor, who reiterated Ghana's resolve to deepen its partnership with France for the mutual benefit of their peoples, lauded the out-going Ambassador for the role he played in strengthening the ties between the two countries. Mr Jacquemot is leaving for the Democratic Republic of Congo. At his turn, Mr Ishikawa said he was happy that Ghana-Japanese relations were at an all time high and expressed the hope that his successor would build on the solid foundation of friendship and economic co-operation.
President Kufuor referred to the Noguchi Medical Prize established by Japan to promote medical services in Africa and said this had gone down in history as a high point in Ghana-Japan relations. Noguchi, a Japanese national, died in Ghana whilst researching into yellow fever.
President Kufuor also expressed gratitude to Japan for its continued development assistance.
The Mallam-Yamoransa road, which has been built into a first-class highway, was constructed with a Japanese grant. It again recently announced another grant of 85 million dollars to build the Yamoransa-Anwiankwanta stretch.
