Accra, Ghana – Ghana is to receive 480 million Canadian dollars annually in budgetary support for being selected among the few countries on which Canada has decided to focus its development assistance. Canada has resolved to limit its overseas development assistance to 25 countries worldwide. This was revealed during bilateral talks between President John Agyekum Kufuor and the Canadian Governor-General, Ms Michaelle Jean, at the Castle, Osu, on Tuesday. Jean is in the country on a five-day State visit and this is the first time ever that Ghana is playing host to a governor-general of Canada. Canada has been providing development support for Ghana since 1957 with its total assistance between 2000 and 2005 coming up to 1,572 billion cedis. Ms Jean said her country was “proud and determined to serve as a useful ally” of Ghana in its socio-economic and political development efforts. “Ghana is the hope for Africa. We see Ghana heading in the right direction, in the areas of education, the Judiciary, the fight against corruption, democracy and human rights,” she said. “We see very promising things. We are not here with arrogance but good reciprocity. There are fundamental values that Canada shares with Ghana.” The governor-general spoke of Canada’s readiness to help in the skills training of Ghanaians, saying, “we really want to be part of the new entrepreneurship of Ghana”. President Kufuor said Ghana was grateful to Canada for its display of genuine friendship, citing its assistance in the areas of technical education, electoral practice and in the agricultural sector, among other things. Additionally, it has cancelled Ghana’s debt, Kufuor noted.
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