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Ghana, Saudi Arabia hold talks on
cooperation
Accra, March 18, GNA - Ghana and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
have held discussions in the areas of energy, economic
development, roads, health and housing and promised to
further explore specific means of the latter assisting Ghana
to meet some of her requirements.
The talks were between Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of
Finance and Economic Planning and Mr Sameer Mahmoud Aggad,
the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia over the
weekend. Also present was Professor George Gyan Baffour,
Deputy Minister in-charge of Planning, Mr Kwesi Poku Kyei,
Special Assistant in-charge of cocoa schedule and other
officials of the Ministry and Embassy.
Mr Aggad, who has been at his posting for only three months,
said there were several areas of economic difficulty and
that Saudi Arabia was ready to help Ghana to overcome.
He explained that the Saudi Kingdom has a unique strategy of
ensuring a full cost recovery in energy production and
offered to help Ghana meet some of her production
inefficiencies.
Mr Baah-Wiredu urged the Saudi government to use its strong
influence as an important shareholder in the World Bank and
a major participant in the International Development
Association (IDA) to help Ghana towards the replenishment of
the upcoming IDA 15, which is more or less in recognition of
the debt forgiveness under the multilateral debt relief
programme.
“You need to help in the discussion of IDA 15 and support
the move towards an increased replenishment process,
especially when talking with the American and the
Europeans.”
The Finance Minister said government intends to transform
the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital into a Teaching Hospital
for the use of the University of Development Studies, adding
that it is one of the most populated regions that must be
supported.
Government in October last year submitted proposals to the
Saudi Fund for Development in assisting funding for the
rehabilitation of the Bolgatanga Hospital to increase the
capacity and efficiency of the hospital to provide proper
health care to the people of the town.
He urged the early completion of the Madina/Pantang section
of the Tetteh-Quarshie- Mamfe Road which the Saudi Fund for
Development is co-funding together with BADEA, a Saudi
consultancy.
Mr Baah-Wiredu also told Mr Aggad of some projects being
undertaken by individual Saudi businessmen such as the
Ambassador Hotel and other projects and urged them to work
at its early completion.
“We know that you are good in providing housing and this is
another area that we could collaborate to increase the pace
of discussion towards raising the housing stock in this
country,” the Minister added.
Ghana and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia established diplomatic
relations at Ambassadorial level in March 1960.
Bilateral economic relations between the two countries
started in 1960 with the Saudi support increasing
significantly after the oil boom of 1973.
A memo on trade relations between Ghana and Saudi Arabia
called for an improved trade relation indicating that
Ghana’s imports from Saudi Arabia kept increasing in value
from 1.89 million dollars in 1989 to 69.1 million dollars in
2005 as opposed to the export value which has increased
considerably from 7.90 million dollars in 1999 to 6.38
million in 2005.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia funded Ghana in the construction
of the Kpong Hydroelectric dam, the grains storage project,
college of science in Accra, Tema and the Takoradi ports
rehabilitation and the northern electricity power grid as
well as the phase one and two of the rural health centres
projects valued at more than 80 million dollars.
GNA
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