Accra, Oct 12, GNA – The newly-renovated Ghana Embassy building in Paris has been inaugurated by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
It is located in the prime area of the 16th Arrondissement of Paris.
The Paris Mission has a unique address, located in the famous Villa Saïd.
The villa is named after Mohamed Sa’id Pasha, a former Prime Minister of Egypt.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Madam Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, congratulated President Akufo-Addo on the prestigious award of Doctor Honoris Causa conferred on him by the reputable Sorbonne University.
“Mr President, your service and sacrifices to the nation and humanity will always be recognised and your example should spur us all on to do more for God and country,” she said.
She thanked the President for his commitment and support ensuring that the Paris Mission was well-housed and in the best of conditions.
“You insisted that we included Paris in the list of Ghana’s Diplomatic Missions to benefit from the Société Générale Bank credit facility acquired to purchase, construct, reconstruct and/or renovate Ghana Missions abroad,” Madam Ayorkor Botchwey stated.
The Minister also congratulated Madam Anna Bossman, Ghana’s Ambassador to France, for her spirit of importunity and determination that had seen the successful completion of the project.
Madam Ayorkor Botchwey said the President was right that the Paris Mission was significant and touched all aspects of diplomacy – bilateral, multilateral and economic diplomacy – in all its forms and expressions in the prosecution of Ghana’s foreign policy agenda.
She said France was one of the first countries with, which Ghana established diplomatic relations immediately following its independence in 1957.
“Our long-standing relations with France have since grown and blossomed into fruitful and mutually beneficial cooperation, in many aspects of our national development to the mutual benefit of our peoples,” the Minister said.
“To the Ghanaian community, this is your home.”
She said the renovation meant the Government of Ghana was sending a strong message of the importance it attached to the interests of its citizens, which was the priority of diplomacy.
The Minister said the beautifully fitted consular section should complement the high-quality services it would provide for the public’s satisfaction.
She urged the public to enjoy the facility and cooperate with the officers, who were ever ready to assist them in all that they needed; saying: “Let us keep the flag of Ghana high. “
The Minister expressed gratitude to the staff of the Paris Mission for their dedication and hard work.
“Our success requires that we meet the high expectations of our citizens and others who demand our services. Let us go over and above the call of duty, for the sake of our country,” she said.
GNA