... Ambassador Stokes-Hayford hosts Diplomatic Corps and Ghanaians to celebrate

Ghana’s Ambassador to Italy, Her Excellency Anita Evelyn Stokes-Hayford, played host to some members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ghanaians in Italy in celebrating Ghana’s 54th Independence Day which fell on 6th March. In the first of two events at her exquisite Ghana-owned residence in Rome, internally decorated with some Ghanaian finest arts and craft, Ambassador Evelyn Anita Stokes-Hayford and her diplomatic staff at the Ghana Embassy in Rome warmly received the guests of Ambassadors and distinguished personalities with handshakes as they entered the residence and signed the visitor’s book.

Among the dignitaries present were Ambassadors and representatives from the following countries: South Africa, Cape Verde, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Nigeria, Niger, Senegal, Sudan, Tunisia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Ghanaian Ambassador after interacting with her guests were together served some Ghanaian dishes washed down with Italian and French wine. In her address to the gathering, she took them down the memory lane on Ghana’s Independence struggle, touching on the warm hospitality of Ghanaians and opportunities available in Ghana to invest in the country. “This is a very special occasion for me as this is the first national day celebration since my assumption of office as an Ambassador to Italy,” she told her guests. Ghana’s Independence struggle, she mentioned, was started to rid the country of the shackles of colonialism and the bondage of foreign oppression and the vision of the first President, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, was unity of the African continent. Ghana, she added, continues to play its part in this vision with twin objectives of unity and integration which is pivotal to her foreign policy. “Ghana has witnessed sustainable peace and stability in all spheres of endeavours and its Government, under His Excellency Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, guided by the four pillars of transparency and accountable governance; investing in the people and the expansion of infrastructure is committed to enhancing growth and development of its economy,” she pointed out. Speaking on Ghana as a peaceful nation, Ambassador Anita Evelyn Stokes-Hayford indicated the country’s continuous demonstration towards a free and prosperous society based on the democratic principles of good governance, accountability, respect for human rights and the rule of law are the principles that has gained her international recognition being now ranked the 48th most peaceful country in the world and the 4th in Africa by the Global Peace Index. Her 25 minutes address also identified some of the enormous challenges facing Ghana but said the Government is on course with the goal of transforming the economy and significant strides have been made in socio-economic development.

On behalf of the President of Ghana and people of Ghana, she expressed profound appreciation to the Republic of Italy for the considerable assistance extended to Ghana in the course of its nation-building efforts, in particular, the construction of the Akosombo Hydroelectric Dam and added: “we are also appreciative of the tremendous support extended to Ghana in recent times in the training of African civilian personnel for peace keeping and international affairs in Ghana at the Kofi Annan International Peace Keeping Training Center (KAIPTC) and the Legon Center for International Affairs (LECIA) respectively. Ghana, she finally told her guests, has joined the league of oil producing countries and the President’s resolve is, the discovery of oil in Ghana should be a blessing to the people of Ghana for the nation’s development. “In this regard I extend an invitation to investors from friendly nations like Italy to take advantage of the conducive political climate as well as the numerous trade and investment opportunities available in Ghana to invest in our country,” she said.

The guests got a good night treat as they were also entertained with gospel songs by three young Ghanaian artistes from Brescia.

Two days after hosting members of the Diplomatic Corps she again received groups of Ghanaian communities in Italy to the same residence. She earlier joined her compatriots in a special service at Saint’Anastasia Basilica in Rome in commemoration of the Independence Day. His Eminence Peter Cardinal Appiah Turkson (President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace) who preached the sermon asked Ghanaians in celebrating their Independence Day not to lose sight of recent happenings in Cote d’Ivoire but to pray with them in finding a solution to their country’s problems. “Let’s not fail to remember our neighbours in Cote d’Ivoire,” he said, “It’s the Word of God that enables us to enter deeply into the celebration. The Word of God has to become our nature, our life not like a veneer of butter on a toasted bread. It should be the toast itself. Christianity should not be taken lightly; when we keep the Word of God we consolidate a communion with God. Choose the Word of God, eat it and let it become your life,” he told the congregation.

At her residence H.E. Evelyn Anita Stokes-Hayford also addressed the Ghanaians present - some who had travelled from the north of Italy to be part of the occasion. “This is the day on which we pay homage to the sons and daughters of Ghana whose vision and tenacity of purpose won us our Independence Day. Foremost among them, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah who has left an indelible mark in world history and was rightly chosen as the topmost African Personality of the 20th century of the last millennium,” she told her compatriots and went on: “it’s the conviction of the Embassy that getting you actively involved in our Independence Day activities is very crucial in ensuring that you appreciate the struggles and toils that have brought us thus far and also to inculcate in you a sense of nationalism and belonging. Today, as always, you must be proud to be a Ghanaian.” She said in her address the journey of Ghanaians to its 54th Anniversary of Independence has not been easy. “We have gotten this far through our collective determination to survive and we must not relax in our efforts to move forward in the right direction as we strive to build a Better Ghana”. The Ghanaian Ambassador also told her fellow citizens to continue to be law abiding in Italy for whatever they do reflects on the image of Ghana. The day provided an opportunity for her to throw more light on the issuance of Passports and other related Consular issues at the Ghana Embassy in Rome and she commended the coordinating role of the Executive members of the Ghanaian Associations in Italy who have played and continue to play a role in the affairs of the Consular Section of the Embassy. Ghana, according to her, is gradually moving from the machine readable passports to biometric and the current passport booklets would be phased out by 2015. “The Embassy in Italy, like other Ghanaian Missions abroad, has very limited passport booklets and this explains why the ‘Consular Services at Your Door Steps’ exercise has been temporarily suspended. The exercise will resume as soon as arrangements to acquire a Mobile Data Capturing Devise that would be used to capture fingerprints, pictures, signatures and other details of applicant are completed.” She also urged Ghanaians in Italy to be more proactive in the economic development of Ghana by identifying and participating in looking for investors in sectors such as energy, agriculture, real estates and constructions.

The two events were marked with awards to some deserving Ghanaians and Italians for their commitment and long service at the Ghana Embassy in Rome and towards the welfare of Ghanaians in Italy. Among the recipients were, His Eminence Peter Cardinal Appiah Turkson who was rewarded for his good works towards the welfare of Ghanaians in Italy. Dr. Sandro Crocicchia of MEWE - an orphanage at Wawase in the Central Region of Ghana - was rewarded in appreciation of his help to Ghana and Ghanaians at community level. Mary Owusu-Afriyie received an award for her efforts in helping the community of Ghanaians in Italy. The Association of Philanthropic Ophthalmic Opticians received an award for going to Ghana to restore the sight of many Ghanaians with eye disabilities in the rural areas. Dr. Giuseppe Paccione (an Expert in International Law) was given a thank you gift for his passion for the Ghanaian course which he continues to demonstrate. The Ambassador told him: “Indeed, in many ways you are more than a Ghanaian.” Nihal Samarawickrema got an award for his long service at the Ghana Embassy in Rome having worked there for 34 years. Philip Twum Nkansah also for his hard working qualities demonstrated at the Ghana Embassy in Rome received an award of a plaque of the Ghanaian traditional ‘kente’ cloth. Dr. Ralph Kwesi Ennison was commended by getting an award for his technical support to the Ghana Embassy in Rome whilst the Council of Ghanaian Nationals Associations in Italy (COGNAI) got its name on the list of recipients for its tremendous service rendered to fellow Ghanaians in Italy.