A Ghana-China Friendship Association (GHACHIFA) has been inaugurated in Accra to foster friendly relations and non-governmental co-operation between the peoples of both countries.

GHACHIFA seeks to promote people to people exchanges, collaborations for joint ventures, cultural exchanges, joint trade missions, networking and business contacts and educational exchange programmes. It also seeks to strengthen the bilateral relations between the government of both countries.

Mr Kojo Amoo-Gottfried, a retired diplomat and President of GHACHIFA, said the association is to consolidate the 40 years of diplomatic relations and co-operation between the two countries. He said that with the "profound" traditional friendship between both countries, the establishment of the GHACHIFA would further promote exchanges and consistent development of friendly co-operation. The vision of GHACHIFA, he said, is to become a vibrant organisation throughout the country because Ghana could learn from the remarkable way China does things.

Mr Lu Yongshou, Chinese Ambassador to Ghana underscored the importance of the association to the already existing relations between both countries. "The bilateral relations have been strengthened and deepened in political, economic, cultural and other fields in recent times. It is our belief that the establishment of Ghana-China Friendship Association will play a positive role in further promoting friendship and collaboration between China and Ghana," he added.

Mr Oscar Ameyedowo, Ghana's Ambassador to China said that country's rapid development over the past 20 years should form the basis for friendship because there are lessons to be learnt from them.

He appealed to the business community to evaluate their capacities to be able to operate in the global economy. He noted that most opportunities for Ghanaians to forge partnerships with Chinese investors in the past had been wasted because entrepreneurs do not have the requisite know-how to match Chinese investors.