Ghana and Romania have initiated efforts aimed at deepening bilateral ties between the two countries.

As part of the process, the Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, is on a three-day official visit to Romania at the invitation of her Eastern European counterpart Teodor Mele?cannu.

She is expected to meet with the Minister for National Education of Romania, Valentin Popa to discuss the education policies of their respective countries and the support they can provide each other.

Mrs Botchway will also meet the president of the Rectors’ National Council of Romania, Sorin Mihai Cîmpeanu. The interaction is scheduled to take place at the University of Agronomic Studies and Veterinary Medicine in Mãrãšti Boulevard, Bucharest. The agricultural cooperation and productivity between Ghana and Romania will be the central focus of this discussion.

Officials of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania (CCIR), Ghana’s Foreign Minister and an official from Ghana National Chamber of Commerce will subsequently hold an hour-long meeting at the CCIR Headquarters at Octavian Goga on how the two Chambers can work together to boost commerce.

Subsequently, the office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania at Titulescu Hall will play host a bilateral meeting between the two Foreign Affairs Ministers. After the bilateral talks, the Ministers will proceed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which will detail all the various areas that both countries intend to engage each other.

The two ministers will address the press after signing the MoUs.

Final Meeting

The Government of Romania’s Headquarters will be the final port of call for Ghana’s Foreign Minister and her entourage. At this location, the Deputy Prime Minister for Romania’s Strategic Partnerships’ Implementation, Ana Birchall, will hold a meeting to climax the visit and sum up the strategy for ensuring that the cooperation agenda between Ghana and Romania is achieved for the benefit of both countries.

Engagement Ahead of the State Visit

On March 15, 2018, Madam Virginia Hesse, Ghana’s Ambassador to the Czech Republic with concurrent accreditation to Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Macedonia presented her credentials to the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, at the Cotroceni Palace. The Romanian President, addressing the Ghanaian Ambassador after receiving her credentials indicated that his country is looking forward to stronger economic and bilateral relations with Ghana. The visit of Ghana’s Foreign Minister 11 days after the presentation of the credentials of Ghana’s Ambassador to the Czech Republic and Romania is seen as a swift movement in fulfillment of the cooperation agenda.

Areas of Interest

Romanian expertise in key fields such as the oil and gas sector, academia, hard wood industry, electricity, transport infrastructure works and the development of the free-exchange zones in Ghana are potential sectors identified for exploitation in this agenda to increase and deepen ties between the two countries.