UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt to visit Ghana
The UK’s Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt will visit Ghana from the 29th to 30th of April and is scheduled to meet the Vice President of Ghana ahead of a Joint Declaration signing.
UK Foreign Secretary Hon. Jeremy Hunt (2nd from right) with; from extreme left, Ghana's Foreign Minister Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Vice President of Ghana, H.E Dr Mahamadu Bawumia and British High Commissioner to Ghana H.E Mr Iain Walker.
This trip, his first as Foreign Secretary, will demonstrate how the UK-Ghana relationship – built on shared values, our people-to-people links and our Commonwealth ties – is progressing towards a common goal: a prosperous, secure Ghana that is delivering inclusive growth as it moves ‘Beyond Aid’.
Joining him on this visit is Africa’s Deputy Trade Commissioner, Martin Kent, and a business delegation from the UK, made up of representatives from BP, Ordnance Survey, London Stock Exchange, Aqua Africa, Bechtel, BHM Construction, Biwater, CDC, OSTC, and Plexus Cotton. These companies will have the opportunity through a number of events, meetings and visits to gain a greater understanding of economic development in Ghana, meet senior ministers, and senior local business leaders.
The highlight of the visit will be a meeting with The Vice President of Ghana H.E. Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia at The Jubilee House to discuss the UK and Ghana’s strong partnership and shared future.
The Foreign Secretary and Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration will also sign a Joint Declaration witnessed by the Vice President H.E. Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and The British High Commissioner H.E. Iain Walker. The Declaration will set out a renewed focus on three shared pillars - Mutual Prosperity, Regional Security, and Health, Education & Equality.
The Foreign Secretary, as part of the UK Government’s commitment to supporting Ghana “Beyond aid’’ will also meet with UK business leaders in Ghana, to support their efforts to invest more in the country. Currently the bilateral trade between Ghana and the UK is worth £1.2 billion, and there is scope to do much more as British businesses look to accelerate Ghana’s plans to build its infrastructure. This is on the back of the UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s target for the UK to be the G7’s largest Foreign Direct Investor in Africa by 2022, and Ghana will be at the heart of the story. The UK is set to support Ghana to become a Regional Financial Hub and the most conducive environment for doing business in Africa.
Jeremy Hunt will speak at an event to mark the 70th anniversary of the Commonwealth on the theme ‘A connected Commonwealth’. He will be joined at the event by other important speakers including Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, leading investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, the founder of Blue Skies Anthony Pile.
The Foreign Secretary will also announce a new £30 million agro-processing and farming-exports support-project, and a new waste management pilot project to help Ghana improve its waste collection and help spur investment in recycling facilities. Plastic waste disposal is one of the greatest environmental challenges facing Ghana, which is why DFID will help address issues around waste collection in Ghana and help mobilise investment in recycling and processing facilities in Accra.
Ahead of the visit, the British High Commissioner H.E Iain Walker said:
Our values are what bind us. And in an increasingly inter-connected world how we tackle shared threats and challenges in the future will be what defines us: on matters of climate change, plastics, cyber security. The Foreign Secretary’s visit to Ghana allows us to develop the UK-Ghana partnership to make it even better: we have created the UK-Ghana Business Council as the primary vehicle for our governments to work together on trade, investment, economic development, job creation and the business environment; the Foreign Secretary’s visit will allow us to commit this same energy to security, and development.