President John Dramani Mahama
President John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday welcomed a 30-day ceasefire proposal that Ukraine has agreed to.
“We’re happy to note the call for a ceasefire by President Volodymyr Zelensky—a 30-day ceasefire. We hope that will open the way for some kind of dialogue to continue and see if the issue between Russia and Ukraine can be resolved within that,” President Mahama said when he received the letters of credence from Madam Laura Ranalli, Ambassador of Italy to Ghana, at the Presidency in Accra.
“I mean, a lot of young people have died, and it’s time for the war to stop. It can only stop if there’s a ceasefire and some kind of dialogue begins. That’s our position on the matter.”
Other ambassadors who were also at the Presidency to present their letters of credence included Julio Enrique Pujol Torres, Ambassador of Cuba to Ghana; Mrs. Musu Jatu Ruhle, Ambassador of Liberia to Ghana; Dr. Abdulla Muraid Sulaiman Mohammed Al Mandoos, Ambassador of the UAE to Ghana; and Ali Ghomshi, Ambassador of Iran to Ghana.
President Mahama noted that West African countries had their own challenges, particularly with the fight against terrorism.
He said three of Ghana’s neighbors in the Sahel region—Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger—were facing a difficult struggle with terrorists, emphasizing the need to support them because it was not their battle alone.
“Terrorism anywhere in the world is terrorism against all of us—against the whole world—not just the countries in which these terrorists operate. So, we’ll work with them to see how we can support them because we are neighbors in the same sub-region,” he said.
“And so, we have a duty to assist them and also to try to build good working relations between the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which has become a reality, and our sub-regional body, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).”
Regarding Ghana-Italy relations, President Mahama said bilateral ties between the two countries were strong, and they aimed to elevate them further.
“Our relations have been historical, and Ghanaians hold our cooperation with Italy in high regard,” he stated.
On energy, President Mahama said he had held a meeting in Accra with Mr. Claudio Descalzi, the Chief Executive Officer of Eni, an Italian multinational energy company.
“We had very good discussions. There were some issues that they had during the previous administration, but happily, we’ve been able to resolve them. So, he indicated that they were willing to proceed with their investment in Ghana,” the President said.
“We have had a good partnership with them, and currently, almost 60 percent of our total gas supply for power generation is coming from Eni. They also have the potential to increase that supply with the additional compartments that we granted them.”
He added that they were in a good position and appreciated the cooperation they were having with Eni in that regard.
He further noted that there were more prospects for partnerships between the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) and Eni, as well as other organizations interested in the upstream oil and gas industry, so they could collaborate effectively.
For her part, Madam Laura Ranalli, Ambassador of Italy to Ghana, congratulated President Mahama on his decisive victory in the December 7 general election.
She said Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy had also welcomed the ceasefire announcement by President Zelensky, and that they were all waiting for the next move.
Regarding Eni, Madam Ranalli said the strengthening of cooperation between the Ghanaian government and Eni had been received with great interest in Italy, as it opened up new opportunities for investment and development.
“With regard to agriculture, Bonifiche Ferraresi, Italy’s largest company in the sector, has committed to investing in Ghana through the establishment of model farms,” she said.
“These farms are designed to promote regenerative agriculture, develop sustainable, scalable, and innovative agro-industrial value chains, enhance food security, and foster the education of human capital to generate lasting employment.”