The
Joint Steering Committee for Development Cooperation between the Republic of
Ghana and the People’s Republic of China held its second review meeting on the
margins of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing
China on Thursday.
The
Steering Committee was co-chaired by Hon. Alan Kyerematen, Minister of Trade
and Industry of Ghana and Mr. Jianjun Wang, the Director-General of Foreign
Capital & Oversea Investment of National Development and Reform Commission
of China.
The
meeting, a follow up to the first review meeting held in February this year
with the Ghana Mission is an innovation by the Ghana Mission in Beijing to help
fast track the implementation of projects been funded by Chinese institution s
or companies.
This
high-level meeting which was attended by Senior Government and Public officials
from both Ghana and China reviewed the progress of implementation of all major
projects being implemented in Ghana by Ministries, Departments and Agencies
(MDAs) with funding from the Chinese Government and Chinese Private Financial
Institutions, including Sinohydro Corporation, China EXIM Bank, China
Development Bank and Sinosure.
These
projects include the Construction of priority infrastructure projects, the
Greater Kumasi Industrial City project, Kpone Water Supply Expansion project
Phase II, Railway Project, Green Houses for Vegetable production, 22 One
District One Factory (1D1F) projects, Ghana Digital Terrestrial Television
project, DormaaAhenkro Water Supply project, Irrigation Water Transmission
Pipeline in the Northern Ghana, among many other critical projects which were
agreed upon when President Nana Akufo-Addo attended the FOCAC Conference in
Beijing China last year.
It
will be recalled that the NPP Government led by His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa
Akufo-Addo successfully negotiated a $2 Billion barter financing
agreement with the Chinese Government in 2018 for Ghana’s bauxite to finance
priority infrastructure projects across the country. These projects are geared towards
enhancing the economic activities of the country by leveraging the country’s
resource endowments to improve livelihoods of Ghanaians.
Hon.
Alan Kyerematen during the meeting reminded the Chinese Delegation that Ghana
has carefully selected these projects to boost the country’s ability to
generate enough revenue internally which has been inspired by the President’s
vision of Ghana beyond aid. He further informed the meeting that Ghana has
successfully exited the IMF Extended Credit Facility which grants the country
opportunity to employ creative mechanisms for projects financing.
Ghana’s
delegation included Hon. Joe Ghartey, Minister of Railways Development,
Ambassador Edward Boateng, Ghana’s Ambassador to China, and other officials
from Foreign Affairs, Trade and Industry, Railways and Finance Ministries. Hon.
Joe Ghartey assured the Chinese investors that Government of Ghana is committed
to developing the railway sector to help expand the economy and facilitate easy
movement whiles His Excellency Edward Boateng stated that Ghana needed
significant infrastructure development to enable us realise The
President’s vision of a Ghana Beyond Aid and called on the Chinese
companies to speed up the processes.
Mr.
Jianjun Wang expressed confidence in Ghana’s ability to successfully implement
these projects with their Chinese counterparts but added
that efforts must be expedited on critical issues that are likely to impede the
progress made so far. He assured the Ghanaian delegation of the Chinese
Government’s readiness to fully ensure the successful implementation of these
projects.