Hon. Kwesi Ahwoi and H.E Prof. Recep Akdağ. Seated in the middle is a translator
A Ghanaian delegation led by Honourable Kwesi Ahwoi, Minister of Food and Agriculture met with a delegation from the Turkish government headed by H.E Prof. Recep Akdağ, Minister of Health at the Third Session of the Ghana-Turkey Joint Trade and Economic Committee Meeting in Ankara and Erzurum, Turkey from February 27 –March 2, 2012.
Opening the meeting, Hon. Kwesi Ahwoi said “Ghana-Turkey relations date back many years and have witnessed remarkable developments particularly with the reopening of the Turkey Diplomatic Mission in Accra in February 2010.
In this connection, I am happy to inform you that the Government of Ghana is in the process of establishing a Ghana Diplomatic Mission in Ankara in order to boost our diplomatic, trade and investment relations. We have also established an Honorary Consular office in Istanbul, manned by Mr. Unal Kabaca.”
The high point of Ghana-Turkish relations was the two-day official visit to Ghana by the President of Turkey, H.E.M Abdullah Gul in March 2011 during which he held discussions with H.E. The President of Ghana, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills on matters of bilateral and multilateral concern.
A section of the Turkish business community at the meeting
During that visit, the Turkish President was accompanied by a 100-member business delegation. He later opened a business forum for Turkish and Ghana businessmen and economic operators to interact and network for mutually beneficial trade and investment relations.
The Joint Trade and Economic Committee deliberated on areas that cover agriculture, trade, industrial and technical cooperation, energy, culture, tourism and infrastructural development.
In the context of the rapidly improving economic relations between the two countries, both sides recognized the importance of an “Agreement on Reciprocal Promotion and Protection of Investments” and agreed to hold a second round of negotiations in the second half of 2012 in Accra.
Other Members of the Ghanaian delegation included:
- Hon. Dr. Joseph Samuel Annan- Deputy Minister, Trade and Industry
- Hon. Baaba Ahmed Jamal- Deputy Minister, Tourism
- Mr. Clement Frank Aryee Nyaaba- Director, Ministry of Trade and Industry
- Mr. Gogu Alfred Saame- Director, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration
Hon. Kwesi Ahwoi and H.E Prof. Recep Akdağ exchanged signed copies of the agreed minutes
- Patience Agbleze Acorlor- Ghana Free Zones Board
- Mr. Stephen Mickson Opoku- Ministry of Trade and Industry
- Dawarnoba Baeka- National Board for Small Scale Industries
- Frank Kofi Nagetey- Dep. Exec. Dir. Ghana Standards Board
- Dr. George Ben Crentsil – Exec. Dir. Ghana Standards Board
- Naa Lamley Orleans-Lindsay- Sen. Legal Officer, Ghana Investments Promotion Center
- Josephine Ivy Quargraine- Ministry of Food and Agriculture
- Dr. Kwame Amezah- Director, Ministry of Food and Agriiculture
- Kwame Ansah- Bank of Ghana
- Hamidu Adakurugu- Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology
- Christiana Osei-Agyekum- Ghana Free Zones Board
- Ananzore Atumbilla- Director, Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning
- Samuel Boakye-Appiah- Electricity Company of Ghana
- Sulemana Abubakari- Ministry of Energy
- Ebenezer Apau Koramoa- Volta River Authority
- Patricia Dovi Akua Sampson- Dep. Dir. Ministry of Communications
- Gabriel Tandoh- Ministry of Tourism
