Ghana and the United Kingdom have resolved to deepen the bilateral relations that exist between the two countries, as well as explore areas of interest that will inure to the mutual benefit of the two countries and their respective populations.

This was disclosed on Monday, 20th January 2020, when the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, held bilateral talks with British Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Boris Johnson, MP, on the sidelines of the ongoing UK-Africa Investment Summit.

President Akufo-Addo expressed his appreciation to the British Government for its willingness to work with Ghana on the basis of trade and investment co-operation, and move away from the traditional aid-based relationship.

The President told his British counterpart that, over the course of the last three years, his Government has worked hard to put Ghana’s economy back on track, and has succeeded in creating a business-friendly environment that has led to Ghana becoming the largest source of foreign direct investment in West Africa.

Africa’s wealth undisputed

Contributing to a panel discussion at the UK-Africa Investment Summit, President Akufo-Addo stated that despite the fact that Africa’s wealth is undisputed, “we have gotten ourselves into a situation where now the infrastructure is also undeveloped.”

With 1 in 4 people said to be will be African by 2050, the President stated that “there is an urgent need for us to think outside the box. We need to find a way to think outside the box in trying to find a way to address the infrastructure deficit that there is, and finding novel instruments for financing Africa’s infrastructure.”

He continued, “Nobody is looking for gifts or charity, but we are saying that if there is equity in the way most people look at it, the means for being able to address the deficits and the difficulties exist, and I think that the London stock exchange can play a really significant and important role in this new thinking. That, in my view, is absolutely important for the future of the continent and for our relations with countries like Britain”.