President John Dramani Mahama would chair this year’s China-Africa Local Government Cooperation forum to be held in Beijing from August 27 to 28.

The forum, co-hosted by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa, is to push forward local-level cooperation between China and African countries.

Mrs Sun Baohong, Ambassador of Republic of China to Ghana, announced this when she paid a courtesy call on Mr Julius Debrah, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development in Accra.

Mrs Sun said the exchanges between Chinese and African local governments play a major role in strengthening China-Africa relations, and the forum would also push China-Africa friendship and cooperation to a new height.

She said the forum would consist of a summit of local governors and an economic and trade forum with more than 1,000 people, including representatives of Non-Governmental Organisations.

Mrs Sun said local Chinese enterprises had entered Africa one after another, while an increasing number of Chinese provinces and cities are giving aid to Africa by sending medical teams annually and offering programs to train various types of qualified personnel on the continent.

She said both sides share the aspiration that a comprehensive platform would be built to further promote practical cooperation between the local governments and enhance their exchanges and cooperation towards new achievements.

Mr Debrah, on behalf of the government, thanked the Chinese Government for choosing President Mahama to chair the upcoming forum. He said Ghana and China have had a fruitful relationship, adding that, the forum would provide a platform to increase more trade between the two countries.