By Iddi Yire
Accra, April 10, GNA – President Petr Pavel of the Czech Republic on Thursday departed Accra home, after a three-day State visit to Ghana.
President Pavel is the first world leader to pay a State visit to President John Dramani Mahama, after his inauguration for a second term on January 7, 2025.
He was seen off at the Kotoka International Airport by Mr Julius Debrah, the Chief of Staff at Ghana’s Presidency.
Other senior Government officials at the Airport to see President Pavel off include Mr Samuel Okudzeto, Foreign Minister, Dr Edward Omane Boamah, Defence Minister, and Mr Alex Segbefia, Chief of Staff to the Vice President.
During the three-day State visit, President Mahama and President Pavel signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Political Consultation, a Bilateral Air Services Agreement, also known as Air Transport Agreement, between Ghana and the Czech Republic.
In addition, they discussed the need to expand the frontiers of their relations and cooperation with the Czech Republic, both at the bilateral and multilateral levels.
At the bilateral level, note was taken of potential for trade and economic cooperation.
The President Pavel’s State visit highlights the cordial and long-standing relations that had existed between Ghana and the Czech Republic, which dated back to 1961 when Ghana and then Czechoslovakia Republic opened diplomatic missions in their respective capitals, which was reinforced over the decades through the exchange of high-level visits and opening of resident missions in our capitals.
The visit also marks another milestone in the long-standing cordial relations that existed between the two countries and reaffirm the political, economic and cultural cooperation that lie at the heart of Ghana’s diplomatic engagement with the Czech Republic.
President Mahama and his Czech counterpart, President Pavel also opened a Czech-Ghana Business Forum in Accra as part of a three-day State visit by the President.
It focuses on agriculture, health, and water resource management, aiming to foster partnerships between companies from both nations.
President Pavel also commissioned the 40-bed Kpone Municipal Hospital in the Greater Accra Region.
The facility, which was built by the Czech company VAMED Health Projects CZ s.r.o., has modern medical amenities, including an Outpatient Department, Surgical Suite, Delivery Unit, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Laboratory, Pharmacy, and a 40-bed inpatient ward.
It also features a Services Block, staff offices, and accommodation with a one-year post-completion warranty and maintenance plan.
This initiative was made possible through funding of 71.5 million Euros, secured from Erste Group Bank AG and Česká Spořitelna a.s., with an export credit guarantee of 8.6 million euros from EGAP, the Export Guarantee and Insurance Corporation of the Czech Republic.
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