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Ghana and Nigeria propose a joint business council that will govern trade and investment matters between the two countries.
The initiative is the result of recent high-level exchanges between the two West African neighbors about the closure of Nigerian property that allegedly violated Ghana’s national investment laws.
The proposal was revealed when the Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, visited President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at Jubilee House, Accra on Thursday.
Gbajabiamila, who is leading a Nigerian delegation, paid a two-day visit to Ghana for talks with his Ghanaian counterpart, spokesman Professor Mike Aaron Ocquaye, on relations between the two nations following the implementation of Ghana Investment The Promotion Center Act 2013, Act 865, which Nigerian merchants in Ghana say was the enemy of their businesses.
Mr. Gbajabiamila noted that the perceived cold relations between Ghana and Nigeria were mere “charlatans” due to people’s “misconceptions and misinformation” about the real problems of Nigerians in Ghana.
He said that relations and ties of friendship forged over decades between the two countries should not be allowed to weaken due to misunderstandings and difficulties that could be amicably resolved through dialogue.
The speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives told the president that since his arrival in the country, he and his delegation had met and educated a section of the Nigerian community in Ghana about some of the misconceptions they claimed had generated the impasse between the two nations.
He noted that during their discussions with Ghanaian Legislature officials, both sides resolved to take the necessary actions to maintain cordiality between the two nations, because “there cannot be a talk about Africa without mentioning Nigeria and Ghana.”
“It is that combination of force that we seek to protect, not only for today, but for tomorrow and the future in the future,” he said and asked the president to review GIPC Law 865 to allow his compatriots to trade Ghana to comply with the requirements of the law.
Mr. Gbajabiamila suggested a business council between Ghana and Nigeria supported by the legislation of both countries as a roadmap for a successful business and trade regime between the two countries.
“There is nothing as good as a bilateral trade agreement backed by two countries to give better results,” he said, again appealing to the president to pay critical attention to the outcome of the discussions he had with the Ghanaian legislature in order to sustain the enviable relations between both nations.
For his part, President Akufo-Addo referred to the strong historical relations between Ghana and Nigeria, which continued to strengthen.
He said he was alarmed by the tone and the issues raised in the statement issued by the Nigerian information minister, and that he had to speak to Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari immediately when the matter arose to find a solution to the problem.
The president said it is comforting that officials from both countries, in the spirit of maintaining Ghana-Nigeria friendship, have come together to chart the way forward.
He praised the suggestion to establish a Ghana / Nigeria Business Council to oversee trade and investment matters between the two countries, saying: “It may be long overdue, but the time has come to do so and I think it is a valuable step to be taken. is giving “.
The president told the delegation that, in discussions with his Nigerian counterpart, he proposed the idea of establishing a Joint Ministerial Committee to guide the issues between the two countries and report the results to both presidents on how the issues should be resolved.
He said he hoped to bring that discussion to a conclusion when he meets with President Buhari at the ECOWAS Summit in Niamey, Niger, next Monday.
The president told the delegation that the government of Ghana took the concerns raised by Nigeria seriously and would seek common ground to address the challenges.
“The revision you are asking for makes a lot of sense for our mutual prosperity, the request would be treated seriously … It is important that we preserve what has been built if we cannot improve it,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo assured the Nigerian delegation of the safety of Nigerians in Ghana, many of whom have lived in the country for decades without any problems.
“That culture of cooperation and brotherhood will continue … Any initial problems we have will be solved,” he said.
Source: GNA
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