Ghana, Slovakia to negotiate visa waiver agreement

Ghana and Slovakia have agreed to begin immediate negotiations towards a visa waiver agreement for holders of diplomatic and service passports to facilitate official travel and strengthen bilateral relations.

The agreement followed a request by Slovakia’s Ambassador-designate to Ghana, Mr Martin Podstavek, during a meeting with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, in Accra on Monday.

Mr Podstavek made the request when he presented his Open Letters to the Minister, alongside three other non-resident ambassadors-designate from Sweden, Finland and Thailand.

He also announced plans for Slovakia to host a Ghana-Slovakia business forum within the next two weeks to explore investment opportunities in the automotive, banking and pharmaceutical sectors.

The discussions will also focus on a proposed partnership to supply buses to Ghana and establish a vehicle assembly plant in the country.

Mr Podstavek said the proposed assembly plant would create employment opportunities, build technical capacity and promote local participation in the automotive industry.

The Minister also received Open Letters from Sweden’s Ambassador-designate, Ms Anna Westerholm; Finland’s Ambassador-designate, Ms Sanna Selin; and Thailand’s Ambassador-designate, Mr Thirapath Mongkolnavin.

Ghana and Sweden agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation under President John Dramani Mahama’s New Economy initiative, with emphasis on railway development, artificial intelligence, agribusiness, digitalisation of revenue administration and defence cooperation.

The two countries, whose diplomatic relations date back several decades, will also explore opportunities for increased investment and technical collaboration in the identified areas.

Ghana and Finland, on their part, agreed to strengthen cooperation in education, technical and vocational education and training (TVET), support for fintech start-ups, maritime security and counterterrorism. Read More.

BY CLIFF EKUFUL

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