GHANA AND TUNISIA SIGN COOPERATION AGREEMENTS TO BOOST BILATERAL RELATIONS

Ghana and Tunisia have signed two (2) agreements and a Memorandum of understanding (MOU) to help strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries.

The three documents were signed at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Republic of Tunisia on Monday 18th February, 2019, following bilateral talks between Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Hon Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey (MP) and her counterpart, H.E. Khemaies Jhinaoui.

The two agreements, the establishment of a Joint Commission and General Cooperation, is expected to boost relations between the governments of the two countries.

However, the MOU on Political Consultations is aimed at strengthening engagements in this area between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of the Republic of Ghana and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tunisia.

“Let me state that the main objective of any partnership is the benefits that accrue to the citizens. This awareness should therefore undergird our common efforts to ensure that the ultimate beneficiaries of this vibrant partnership between Ghana and Tunisia are carried along in the process. This is the surest way by which we would achieve the socio-economic transformation of our countries and the well-being of our peoples that we seek”, the Hon Minister said.

Tunisia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Khemaies Jhinaoui, applauded the political stability in Ghana as well as the significant socio-economic development that according to him has made Ghana a model of success in sub Saharan Africa.

H.E. Khemaies Jhinaoui reiterated his country’s firm commitment to share with Ghana its expertise in various fields of common interest such as agriculture, energy and renewable energies, public works and technology parks. The rest are information and communication technologies, health and higher education, while

exploring other areas of possible cooperation.

Youth unemployment, a worrying trend in the African region also surfaced in the course of the bilateral discussions where the two Ministers called for a concerted action to deal with the issue if the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals would be met. In line with the context, Hon Ayorkor Botchwey shared Ghana’s initiative of an industrialization agenda for job creation, anchored on the One-District-One-Factory (1D1F) programme, an initiative Tunisia believes is worthy of emulation.