An array of guests, mostly from the diplomatic and business communities thronged the Multipurpose Hall at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital to witness the celebration of the 62nd Anniversary of Ghana’s Independence.

The celebration was on the theme “Celebrating peace and unity”.

Ghana’s Ambassador to Ethiopia, Amma A. Twum-Amoah, assisted by her Deputy Mr. Henry Tachie-Menson and Defence Attache, Brig.Gen. Asamoah Kweku Yeboa received diplomatic greetings and well-wishes from envoys of other nations, after which the national anthems of Ethiopia and Ghana as well as that of the African Union were played.

Ghana’s Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr. Alan Kyeremanten, was the Guest of Honour.



Also present were Ambassador Kwesi Quartey, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission; the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office to the African Union, Madam Hanna Serwaa Tetteh; and the Honorary Tourism Ambassador for Zimbabwe, Ambassador Nancy Sam.

The Ghanaian community was also in attendance, including students.

Ghana gained independence from its last colonial master, Great Britain on 6th March 1975, becoming the first in sub-Sahara Africa achieve the political feat which is said to have energised the country’s founding President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah to set for himself a goal to ensure many of the then remaining African countries under colony gained their political freedom.

Ghana, subsequently became beacon of hope for the entire continent, promoting vigorously the African Unity agenda, which culminated in the founding of the Organisation of African Union (OAU), now African Union.



Addressing the ceremony, Ambassador Amma Twum-Amoah recalled the excellent relationship that has existed between Ghana and Ethiopia dating back to the era of Dr. Nkrumah and Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie and paid tribute to both leaders for their role in de-colonising the continent.

She announced that apart from ongoing negotiations between Ghana and Ethiopia Airlines on the re-establishment of national airline for Ghana, governments of both countries have taken steps to further strengthen cooperation in several other areas to move the bilateral relations a notch higher.

Ambassador Twum-Amoah who is also Ghana’s Permanent Representative to both the African Union and the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), reiterated the resolve of current government led by President Nana Addo Dankwa AkuDafo-Addo to ensure the promotion and enhancement of peace, unity and social cohesion among all Ghanaians.



“One of the leading priorities of government is the socio-economic development of our communities, especially the districts. The government of Ghana will therefore continue to pursue the agenda of industrialisation and the processing of our raw materials for the benefit of our people”, she said.

The Ghanaian envoy said as a member of the Committee on Democracy, Governance and Election and the Committee on Environment in the African Union, Ghana will continue to work assiduously to prevent conflicts and ensure peace, unity and justice on the continent.

Responding to the Toast, the Ethiopian government representative, Ambassador Woinshet Tadesse congratulated Ghana on her independence attainment.

Ambassador Tedesse who is also the Permanent Secretary of the African Union Commission, Africa Affairs and the Middle East particularly praised Ghana democratic and pan-African leadership and said both the African Union and the Ethiopian government looks forward to a deepened working relation with Ghana in the years ahead.

Guests were treated to Ghanaian music, food and drinks.

Hungry

In Budapest - Hungary, a scientific conference was held as part of activities to mark the day. It was themed “Sustainable Development: The role of Young Researchers”

The conference brought together various Ghanaian students studying in Hungary including those on bilateral scholarship (Stipendium Hungaricum) under the Government of Ghana and Hungary as well as FAO sponsored students.



Among the guests present, Ghana’s Ambassador to the Czech Republic with concurrent accreditation to Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Macedonia, H.E. Virginia Hesse. Also present were Prof. Helyes Lajos of Szent Istvan University who hosted the gathering, Registrar of Scholarships, Ghana Scholarships Secretariat, Kingsley Agyemang, a section of the Ghanaian Community and the African Diaspora in Hungary.

New York

Ghana’s Mission in New York was not left out as a joint delegation from the Permanent Mission to the United States and the Consulate General in New York joined the Ghanaian Muslim community at Yankasa, Bronx in worship.

This is an annual event where special prayers are offered as part of the Independence anniversary of Ghana.

Chief Imam of the Yankasa Masjid, Chief Imam Sulley prayed Ghanaians not to take the peace the country has been enjoying for granted. He also cautioned the citizenry to be mindful of their utterances, particularly in the public space.



The Newark Municipal Council, Office of the Mayor for International Relations and Diaspora Affairs in collaboration with the Ghanaian community, organized a flag raising ceremony to mark the day.

Meanwhile the two Missions led by their leaders, H.E. Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, Ghana’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Professor Samuel K. Amoako, Consul General of Ghana to New York on Tuesday March 5, 2019, were joined by the Diplomatic community to commemorate the 62nd Independence anniversary at the UN Headquarters in New York. The Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina J. Mohammed was the Special Guest of Honour.