Ghana, China sign agreements to boost economic cooperation

Accra, June 19, GNA - Ghana and China on Sunday signed six bilateral agreements to boost economic and technical co-operation between the two countries.

This followed talks held between President John Agyekum Kufuor and the visiting Chinese Premier, Mr Wen Jiabao, at the Castle, Osu. The Chinese Prime Minister was in Ghana as part of his seven-nation tour of Africa to help increase trade and bilateral relations between his country and Africa.

President Kufuor and Premier Jiabao witnessed the signing of the agreements, which included an economic and technical cooperation grant of 30 million Yaun to Ghana, an interest free loan of 30 million Yaun and a concessionary loan of 250 million Yaun for the National Communication Backbone Project.

The rest were a rural primary school, an establishment of a malaria prophylactic therapeutic demonstration centre, donation of two million Yaun for the supply of anti-malaria drugs and the dispatch of specialists to Ghana to conduct investigations on the ground wireless covering project of two Frequency Modulation (FM) radio broadcasting programmes and the Central Chinese Television (CCTV) programme. Premier Jiabao would visit Egypt, South Africa, Tanzania, Congo Brazzaville, Uganda and Angola during his eight days tour of the continent.

China's trade with Africa is estimated at about 40 billion dollars. Imports from that country into Ghana last year amounted to 433.7 million dollars, while Ghana's exports to China stood at 31.3 million dollars.