Ghana ready to renew relations with France: Ghanaian president

ACCRA, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron visited Ghana on Thursday as part of his three-nation African tour, to boost economic ties.

The visit also took him to Burkina Faso and Cote d'Ivoire, two former French colonies.

Receiving the French leader at the seat of government in Accra, Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo said Ghana stood ready to renew and deepen the ties of cooperation and friendship with France.

He said Ghana wants its relations with France to be characterized by an increase in trade and investment cooperation, not aid, as that was the way to develop healthy Ghana-France relations, and put Ghana at the high-end of the value chain in the global market place.

"Our vision is to build a free, prosperous, independent country, a Ghana beyond aid," he said, stressing that his administration is poised to building a value-added, industrialized economy with a modernized agriculture, which is neither victim nor pawn of the world economic order.

The bonds of friendship between Ghana and France dates back many years. Both countries have strong ties in trade, investments, civil and security cooperation among others.

Statistics show that French investments in Ghana totalled 1.5 billion Euros in 2015, making Ghana the seventh-biggest destination of French investments in sub-Saharan Africa.

Akufo-Addo assured the French president that Ghana stands shoulder-to-shoulder with France in the promotion of human rights in Africa and the rejection of terrorism as a legitimate means of resolving political issues.

Macron earlier joined Akufo-Addo at the Independence Square in Accra where they laid wreaths and lighted the perpetual flame at the liberation monument. Enditem