Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has received a Cuban delegation, led by Mercedes Lopez Acea, Vice President of the Council of State of Cuba.
The delegation, which included Ana Teresita Gonzalez, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Cuba, called on the vice president at the Flagstaff House to hold talks on how the two countries could further deepen their bilateral trade relations.
Mrs. Lopez Acea commended Ghana’s leading role in ensuring peace and stability in the West Africa sub-region, and called on officials of the two countries to expand and deepen areas of cooperation for mutual benefit.
“We are proud that we have trained over 3,000 Ghanaian students, who are now playing key roles in Ghana’s development.
“We are also very proud of the achievements of the Cuban Medical Brigade, some of who have been in Ghana for over 15 years. I believe we can explore other areas of mutual benefit,” Mrs Lopez Acea indicated.
Recalling the longstanding relations between the two countries – which began in 1959 – Vice President Bawumia underscored Ghana’s appreciation of Cuba’s support in various sectors of the Ghanaian society.
Dr. Bawumia, who is also Head of Ghana’s Economic Management Team, welcomed the interest expressed by the Cuban business community to add value to Ghana’s cocoa.
“We know that the Cuban business community has expressed an interest in Ghana’s cocoa beans. We believe that if Ghana and Cuba cooperate, we can add value to Ghana’s cocoa sector,” he said.
The vice president reiterated government’s desire to eradicate malaria and other mosquito-transmitted diseases which lead to significant number of deaths in Ghana and costs Africa billions of dollars in lost productivity.
He said the government would soon renew discussions with the Government of Cuba for the establishment of a Biolarvicide factory at Savelugu in the Northern Region for the control of pests and mosquito transmitted diseases in the country and the West Africa sub-region.
“The malaria control programme in Savelugu in Northern Ghana is an area that Ghana wants to see the proposals come to fruition. Deaths from malaria are avoidable; and we want this facility to help eradicate it, not just in Ghana, but the whole of West Africa, if not the entire continent,” Dr Bawumia stated.
The delegation was accompanied by Ghana’s Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Mohammad Habibu Tijani, and Ghana’s Ambassador to Cuba, Napoleon Abdulai.
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