President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo paid an emotional tribute to the former President of Cuba, the late Fidel Castro, when he visited the Caribbean country last week.
He recounted a meeting he had with the leader of the Cuban Revolution in April 2006, when he was the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and his prediction which eventually came to pass.
In that meeting, he made a prediction about an aspect of my life, which has since come to pass. I lost track of time in the meeting with him, and soon realised that I was going to miss my flight.
Then, in his still, calm but assured voice, Fidel Castro said to me, words I remember to this date, and I quote “Don’t worry. Even if you miss your flight, there is another at a later time today. Don’t be in a hurry to leave because I might not have the opportunity to meet you again. One thing I can tell you is that you will be President of your country one day.”
It took me ten years to see that prediction realised, and I am sad I could not have the opportunity to come back and tell him, Commandante, your prediction has come to pass. May the soul of Fidel Castro rest in peace,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo said this in an interaction with the President of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel, when the two leaders met to celebrate the long-standing relationship between their two countries.
The President said the prospects for scaling-up economic relations between Ghana and Cuba were considerable, and called for the two countries to continually search for ways to co-operate.
According to President Akufo-Addo, I have no doubt, that, together, we can forge a new, strong partnership for co-operation between our two nations for the mutual benefit of our people.
He said his visit to Cuba was to continue the process of developing stronger ties between the two countries, as well as exploring new areas of co-operation to the mutual benefits of their two peoples.
At the diplomatic level, Ghana and Cuba have maintained relations since 1959. Ghana was the first African country to establish diplomatic relations with the government of the Cuban Revolution. Since then, officials of the two countries have exchanged high level visits.
Ghana, President Akufo-Addo stated, was grateful to Cuba, through the Cuban Medical Brigade of some two hundred and twenty-seven (227) medical doctors, for the medically-related services they were providing the people of Ghana.
Six hundred (600) Ghanaian students have been given scholarships by the Cuban government since the year 2000, with some three thousand (3,000) Ghanaians benefitting from this arrangement in previous years.”
“I am glad to note that, during this visit, new arrangements have been concluded to cover 200 more Ghanaian students to study medicine here.”
“The co-operation between our two countries is being extended to the eradication of malaria, and soon, through a joint venture agreement with Labiofam S.A., a bio-larvicide factory will be established in Savelugu, in the Northern Region of Ghana,” he said
He said an agreement was being reached for the sale of Ghana’s cocoa liquor to the Stella S.A. chocolate factory in Cuba, stressing that we want to examine the possibility of Stella S.A. establishing a manufacturing facility in Ghana.
BY TIMES REPORTER
