President Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa arrived in Accra, Ghana on the evening of Friday 3rd December, 2021, at the invitation of the President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo. The State Visit was from 4th to 6th December, 2021. He arrived in Ghana after taking similar visits to Nigeria and Cote D’Ivoire.
President Ramaphosa undertook the State Visit to Ghana from 4th to 5th December, 2021, on the third leg of a four-nation visit to West Africa which includes Nigeria, Cote D’Ivoire and Senegal.
The state visit to Ghana was aimed at strength and enhancing bilateral relations premised on mutual respect, commitment to democracy, good governance, rules-based multilateralism underpinned by the rule of law, respect for Human Rights and fundamental freedoms.
President Ramaphosa’s delegation which included ministers and businessmen were received by His Excellency Mr. Bawumia, Vice President of the Republic of Ghana at the Kotoka international Airport. Present at the airport were Ministers of States the High Commissioner of the Republic of Ghana to South Africa, His Excellency Mr. Charles Owiredu, High Commissioner of the Republic of South Africa to Ghana, Her Excellency Ms. Grace Mason, and Heads of African Diplomatic Missions accredited to Ghana.
On Saturday 4th December, 2021, President Ramaphosa was received by His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana at the Jubilee House where he was accorded with all the pomp and pageantry including a 21-gun salute. As part of the State Visit, there was an inaugural session of the Ghana-South Africa bi-national Commission. The two Presidents elevated the structural bilateral mechanism from the Permanent joint Commission for Cooperation to the Ghana-South Africa Bi-National Commission.
The Bi-National Commission is expected to co-ordinate various sectors of government and facilitate communication between the public and private industries of the respective countries to collaborate on economic, social, cultural, scientific, technical, and other strategic areas of cooperation identified and agreed upon by both countries.
On Sunday, 5th December, 2021, President Ramaphosa laid a wreath at the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum at the tombs of the founding father of the African union and Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and the late First Lady Mrs. Fathia Nkrumah, who were laid to rest beside each other.
President Cyril Ramaphosa later addressed the gathering during the Ghana-South Africa Business forum to further explore new areas of economic, trade and investment cooperation especially Ghana’s key sectors such as roads and railway, infrastructure, mining, energy, manufacturing, and agro-processing to the mutual benefit of both countries.
South Africa is a major exporter of motor vehicles, machinery, iron, steel, and plastics while imports from Ghana consist of raw materials such as gold, oil, cocoa, iron, and steel. 100 South African business executives from various fields which includes women in business engaged in bilateral trade at the business forum. President Ramaphosa departed Accra, on the 5th of December, 2021.
