The Ghana-China Friendship Association (GHACHIFA), together with the Chinese Embassy, will establish a cultural center in Ghana to teach Chinese language and culture, a GHACHIFA official announced Thursday.

"The center, which is expected to be completed in 12 months, will also provide an opportunity for Chinese residents in Ghana to learn the nation's rich culture and some local languages," said Henry Yaw Mallet, chairman of GHACHIFA's publicity committee.

"The move will therefore strengthen the relationship between the two countries both in (the) economic and social sector," Mallet added at a media briefing to outline activities marking the60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

He said that as part of the association's goal to create a favorable environment for business in both countries, a similar organization would also be established in China.

To establish a vigorous relationship between the two nations, "we have organized two different forums, dubbed 'Doing Business in Ghana in a Friendly Way' and 'The Ghanaian Way of Life,'" Mallet said.

Mallet said that as part of the planned activities, there would be a public lecture entitled "Tertiary Education in China and Its Contribution to China's Astronomic Development."

Duan Xinping, Second Secretary at the Economic and Commercial Counselor's Office of the Chinese Embassy in Ghana, said the GHACHIFA had played a significant role in promoting the friendship between the two countries since its establishment in 1999.

He said that in 2009 alone, the Chinese Embassy had issued about 700 visas to Ghanaians to participate in the 145th China Trade Fair scheduled for October 15.

Considering the great volume of bilateral trade between China and Ghana, it had become necessary for citizens of both countries to learn each other's language, culture and customs, Duan said.

Kojo Amoo-Gottfried, president of the GHACHIFA, said China was a guarantor of Ghana's development.

"If we want to develop, then we need to do so with a country that supported us in the past, and will also support us in the future," he concluded.

(Xinhua News Agency October 9, 2009)