GHANA MUST CONSOLIDATE HER DEMOCRACY-RICHARDSON (Political Page,lead)

27/01/08

Story: Kobby Asmah & Mary Mensah

THE outgoing Australian High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr Jonathan Richardson, has stated that the present stability in Ghana, respect for human rights, a spirit of national unity and overall good relations among different communities and groups are Ghana’s great assets which should be built upon.
Giving a speech on the occasion of Australia Day on Friday in Accra, Mr Richardson said that all political parties and stakeholders had a responsibility to ensure that this positive trend continued to enable the country build a durable democracy.
“ Some observers may point to recent developments in Kenya and one or two other cases over the last 12 months as evidence of a backward trend in Africa as a whole. However, he argued that “equally we have seen other countries as a shining light moving forward, including several countries in the West African sub-region,” he said.
“So let us keep the big picture in perspective; there is good reason to believe that Ghana will once again be one of those countries that point the way forward,” he stated.
He said it was with sadness that he bid farewell to Ghana and gave the assurance that he would treasure the many friendships and contacts he made during his duty tour.
He, however, said with delight that plans were well advanced for the establishment of a new Australian-owned mine, Adams Resources’ Southern Ashanti Project in the Western Region, the first of its kind in the country.
He said Australian oil exploration companies were also interested in joining in the development of Ghana’s petroleum resources, as they had done in several other African countries.
He said that the discovery offshore oil in commercial quantities is an exciting development for Ghana and “we must wish the country success in meeting the challenges that arise in harnessing the revenue generated by oil to the fullest benefit of the people and the national development”.
He said that commercial relationship remained one of their strongest in Africa and merchandise trade grew from five per cent last year to over US$100m, which constitutes one of their larger markets on the continent.
He said exports from Ghana to Australia were also increasing whilst the mining sector continued to play a large role in exports, notably machinery and equipment, as well as Australia’s investment in Ghana.
Additionally, he said the mining sector also created substantial service trade with Ghana, in areas such as engineering, project management, drilling and consultancy services.
He also said the High Commission had funded community-based projects in all the 10 regions of Ghana over the last three years and the amount of annual financial assistance for small scale projects had doubled to nearly a quarter of a million dollars.
The Deputy Minister of Finance, on behalf of government, said that Ghana and Australia had enjoyed very close relations since the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries soon after Ghana’s independence in 1957.
He said notwithstanding the closure of our respective diplomatic missions in the 1980’s, Ghana and Australia continued to enjoy ties and maintain Consulates in each other’s capital.
He pledged the country’s commitment to continuing with efforts in the areas of good governance, rule of law and respect for fundamental human rights.
“We are confident that the presidential and parliamentary elections in December this year will be peaceful, transparent, free and fair,” he said.