The new Egyptian Ambassador to Ghana has paid a courtesy call on the Senior Minister, Mr. Yaw Osafo-Maafo, to introduce himself as he begins his duty tour as the official representative of Egypt to Ghana.

Mr Emad Magdy Hanna sees his visit to the Senior Minister as key in his bid to building a close collaboration between Egypt and Ghana for the interest of both countries.

In an interaction with the Senior Minister on Friday at his office, Mr. Hanna recounted the era in which his grandfather visited Ghana in the late 1950s and 60s to familiarize himself with the country and establish relationship with Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana.

He said the current Prime Minister of Egypt recognized Ghana as a leading country in sub-Saharan Africa indicating that, “Ghana has a high sense of generosity and huge potentials in trade and investment.”

The Ambassador informed that Egypt had a long relationship with Ghana in areas which included industrial development, trade, investment, sports and cultural development.

He suggested that Egypt could also collaborate with Ghana in the pharmaceutical industry in which Egyptian businessmen had invested hugely in other countries.

Mr. Hanna informed that, regardless of the predominant Muslim nature of Egypt, the Catholic Pope recently visited Egypt because of Egypt’s Christian tourist sites, particularly some routes where the Biblical Mary and Joseph used while fleeing to Egypt.

He therefore invited Ghanaians to visit Egypt for business opportunities and to have a feel of the tourist sites in the country.

In welcoming the Ambassador, the Senior Minister said, “Ghana is a country endowed with natural resources, huge potential for trade and investment and a people with a strong sense of hospitality.”

Mr. Osafo-Maafo indicated that the historic ties Ghana shared with Egypt was initiated by “our first President with his memorial marriage to the beautiful young Egyptian woman, Ms. Fathia Halim Ritzk.”

Mr. Osafo-Maafo subsequently observed that the ‘Fathia Fata Nkrumah Kente’ cloth which was one of Ghana’s rich cultural assets named in reference to the marriage between Dr. Nkrumah and his wife, could promote trade and tourism between the two countries.

The Senior Minister praised Egypt’s ingenuity in constructing huge ancient monuments which had become a source of tourist attraction and told of the civilization of Egypt.

He said these monuments had confused western scientists who could not comprehend the construction of pyramids and the preservation of tombs which had existed for thousands of years.

He observed Ghana’s effort in making strides in governance by hinting on “the socio-economic policies led by H.E Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana, to ensuring zero-tolerance for corruption, economic progress and prosperity for the good people of Ghana.”

The Senior Minister and the Ambassador agreed that it would be prudent for the two countries to collaborate also in the area of education by instituting a scholarship scheme for brilliant students to study in the two countries in an exchange programme.

Mr. Osafo-Maafo assured the Egyptian Ambassador of government’s commitment and support to deepening the existing investment and trade relations between the two countries for their mutual benefit.