Ghana and Slovakia have agreed to begin immediate negotiations towards a visa waiver agreement, Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has announced.
The minister disclosed this after receiving the open letters of four newly appointed non-resident ambassadors to Ghana on Monday, November 9.
The envoys were Anna Westerholm of Sweden, Martin Podstavek of Slovakia, Sanna Selin of Finland and Thirapath Mongkolnavin of Thailand.
Ablakwa said Slovakia would host a Ghana-Slovakia business forum within the next two weeks to explore investment opportunities in the automotive, banking and pharmaceutical sectors.
He added that discussions were also underway on a possible partnership to supply buses to Ghana and establish a vehicle assembly plant.
On Ghana’s relations with Sweden, the minister said both countries intended to deepen cooperation in railway construction, artificial intelligence investments, agribusiness, digitalisation of revenue administration and defence.
He said the cooperation would also support President John Mahama’s New Economy initiative.
Ghana and Finland, he added, had agreed to expand collaboration in education, technical and vocational education and training (TVET), financial technology incubation, maritime security and counterterrorism.
On Thailand, Ablakwa said Ghana would work with the country on its application for BRICS partnership, drawing on Thailand’s experience as an official BRICS partner nation.
He said the two countries had also agreed to hold political consultations and exchange expertise in rice production to reduce Ghana’s dependence on rice imports while creating local jobs.
Other areas of cooperation include labour mobility and fisheries, particularly efforts to increase canned fish production in Ghana.
