This agreement, according to President Akufo-Addo, will bind Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire “in even closer intimacy and go beyond the bounds of the concept of the Permanent Joint Commission, which is the conventional tool for co-operation.”

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has revealed that close co-operation between Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire will be facilitated by a new initiative dubbed “An Agreement For a Strategic Partnership”, that will be signed by the two countries.

This agreement, according to President Akufo-Addo, will bind Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire “in even closer intimacy and go beyond the bounds of the concept of the Permanent Joint Commission, which is the conventional tool for co-operation.”

The President, in welcoming the initiative, stated that this Agreement would “embrace all aspects of our national lives, and, if undertaken with sincerity and transparency, it should enhance considerably the chances of our two countries to attain progress and prosperity.”

President Akufo-Addo made this known on Friday, May 5, 2017, in response to the award to him of Cote d’Ivoire’s highest national award, La Grande Croix dans l’ordre National Ivorien (The Order of the Grand Ivorian Cross), at a State Dinner held in his honour by the President of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire, His Excellency Alassane Ouattara.

Describing the relations between Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire as being “of the highest priority, for reasons which are self-evident”, President Akufo-Addo noted one of the areas of focus of this Agreement will be in the cocoa industry.

“Together, we produce 65% of the world’s cocoa, and if we work together and coordinate our policies, we can protect our farmers and guarantee a better life for them,” he added.

Battered by the volatility of the international cocoa market, despite their position as largest suppliers of the commodity, the two countries have resolved to develop solutions which will ensure resilience to price volatility in the market, and, thereby, curb the fall in revenues derived from cocoa exports. It should be recalled that cocoa contributes to about 15% of Cote d’Ivoire’s GDP and 7% of Ghana’s.

“We are amongst the biggest economies in West Africa. We are also bonded by common history, by common ethnic ties, by common culture, and by geography. Our ties impose on us the necessity to work together, and to live as good neighbours, with each one being the brother’s keeper,” he stressed.