THE Government of the Federal Republic of Germany has conferred a special honour known as the " Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany", on the Chief Executive of Atlantic Group of Companies, Dr Humphry Odam Kofi Ata, for his instrumental role he played over the years in promoting good bilateral relations between Ghana and Germany.

Dr Ata began promoting bilateral relations between the two countries during his student days in Germany in 1954 to 1964 and thereafter at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) where he lectured.

He further left the country to Germany to establish the first Ghana Investment Centre in Frankfurt and came back to Ghana as General Manager of the Ghana Steel Works and later on went into private business.

He then established the Atlantic Group of Companies which deal in computer and electronic equipment, computer training, climate control and electrical and power installations.

The special order was conferred on him during a classical musical performance by the Tubingen Chamber Orchestra from Germany at the residence of the German Ambassador, His Excellency, Mr Harald Loeschner in Accra on April 10.

In a citation, Mr Loeschner praised Dr. Ata for the role he continues to play in promoting joint Ghana-German businesses of which he is the president of the Ghana-German Economic Association which is a benchmark for bilateral relations between the two countries.

Dr Ata is also the chairman of Almagamated Bank, Ghana Water Company Limited, North Volta Rural Bank at Guaman in the Jasikan District, a council member of the Association of Ghana Industries and a member of the board of directors of the National Petroleum Tender Board.

In an acknowledgement, Dr Ata expressed heartfelt thanks to the German Government for the honour and also thanked the German Embassy in Ghana for promoting the award.

He also expressed thanks to the President, Mr J. A Kufuor and the Ghana Government for supporting the award.

Those present on behalf of the government of Ghana were the Minister of Defence, Dr Kwame Addo Kufuor and the Minister of Interior, Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyeman. Also present were, chairman of the Public Utilities and Regulatory Commission (PURC), Mr Kwame Pianim, Mr Samuel Osei-Nyame, a renowned legal practitioner and Professor F. O Kwami, Chairman of the Ho Polytechnic Council and a former Vice-Chancellor of KNUST.