Accra, July 7, GNA- Ghana and Zambia Friday signed cooperative agreements aimed at bolstering ties and trade development between the two countries.
The agreements were on trade and investment; mining; tourism, arts and culture; skills development; information communication technology; youth and sports; drug trafficking; Science, technology and innovation; and investment promotion.
The agreements were signed when the Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, who is on a three-day visit to Ghana held brief with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House, Accra.
President Hichilema is in Ghana at the invitation of President Akufo-Addo to strengthen the already cordial bilateral relations between the two Anglophone countries and forge new long-lasting partnerships in various sectors of mutual interest.
The visit is a climax to the inaugural session of the Zambia–Ghana Joint Permanent Commission of Cooperation held last April 2023 in Accra.
Hichilema was accompanied by his wife, Mutinta, and a high-level delegation.
The Zambian President, who is also a lay leader of the SDA Church, later joined President Akufo-Addo and his wife, Rebecca, to attend the first special congregation of the Valley View University (VVU)at Oyibi, near Accra, where five personalities, including the two leaders, were honoured for their contribution to the development of their societies.
The other personalities were former president John Agyekum Kufuor, former first lady Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings and Madam Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, Chief of Staff at the Presidency.
Hichilema, Kufuor, Mrs Rawlings and Madam Osei-Opare were conferred with honorary doctorate degrees for their exemplary leadership and varied roles in their respective endeavours to enhance the cause of humanity.
The University presented President Akufo-Addo with a Presidential citation in acknowledgement of his resolve to promote democracy and good governance.
Later, Hichilema attended a State banquet at the Presidency.
Whilst in Ghana, the Zambian Head of State will visit the Zoomlion Waste Management Plant, grace the 2023 graduation ceremony of the Valley View University (VVU), slated for July 09, and unveil a commemorative plaque at the frontage of the University.
VVU, the first private university in Ghana granted a Charter, was established in 1979 by the West African Union Mission of Seventh-day Adventists (now Ghana Union Conference).
GNA