The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey held bilateral talks with her Latvian counterpart H.E. Mr. Edgars Rinkēvičs at the Ministry on Monday 17th April, 2023 to deepen cooperation between the two countries. A business forum was also organised as part of the activities for the Official Visit.
The two Foreign Ministers recalled high-level visits exchanged between the two countries and looked forward to enhancing fruitful relations on issues of mutual interest in the areas of Information Communication and Technology (ICT), education, health, security, food security, and agriculture among others for the benefit of the two countries. The visit by H.E. Mr. Edgars Rinkēvičs is a follow-up to Ghana’s Foreign Minister’s visit to Latvia in 2018 which rekindled economic relations between the two countries.
In her Opening Remarks at the Business Forum, Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey expressed the hope that the Forum will further deepen the fast-growing economic relations between the two countries.
She encouraged the Latvian business delegation to explore investment opportunities in Ghana and forge partnerships with their Ghanaian counterparts for accelerated economic trade relations, leveraging on the reach of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which offers a single continental market for goods and services.
The Foreign Minister of the Republic of Latvia, H.E. Mr. Edgars Rinkēvičs expressed his Government’s readiness to deepen economic relations in areas of education, technology, security, food security, and agriculture. He announced that despite the recent global challenges, there was a marked 25% growth in Ghana-Latvia trade relations in 2020 and hoped that the scope of cooperation could be further expanded.
On his part, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Free Zones Authority (GFZA), Amb. Mike Oquaye Jnr, encouraged the business delegation to explore investment opportunities in the Ghana Free Zones enclaves such as business process outsourcing, call centers, hardware, ICT infrastructure development, data processing, software development, research and development, and incubation centers.
The Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Investment Promotion Center (GIPC), Mr. Yaw Amoateng Afriyie also urged the Latvian business delegation to recognise Ghana as an essential commercial partner, a country that offers opportunities as well as a conducive investment climate for investors in the sub-region.
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com/Kwabena Nyarko Abronoma
