Kenya and Ghana bolster historic ties through new economic pacts

President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Ghanaian counterpart, John Dramani Mahama, yesterday witnessed the signing of nine bilateral agreements to enhance the economic and political ties between the two nations.

President Kenyatta said the agreements would increase trade between the two countries, and called on investors to take advantage of the new arrangements.

"Despite the cordial relations between our two countries, the level of economic engagement has been wanting, even though a steady growth in trade has been recorded recently, let us take advantage of the agreements signed today," the President said.

The two presidents also held discussions on a wide range of issues of mutual interest at bilateral, regional, continental and global levels.

The agreements signed between the two countries yesterday included deals on bilateral air services and cooperation in the energy, oil and gas sectors.

The two countries also signed a pact on tourism and another on technical, vocational, education and training (TVET) reforms.

Memorandums of understanding in the fields of agriculture and Information communication technology were also entered into.

The President said Kenya and Ghana shared a vision of increasing intra-African trade as he encouraged businessmen from the two countries to take advantage of the available opportunities.

President Mahama said the reinvigorated relations between his country and Kenya would be beneficial and called on citizens of both countries to work hard as the governments created more conducive environments for growth and development.

He said the two nations are emerging middle income countries that are economic bulwarks in their respective sides of Africa, and would be enriched by closer ties.

President Kenyatta chairs the East African Community (EAC) while President Mahama is the chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

"We are architects of a future our forefathers only imagined. It is our duty to work for the greater good of our people," Mahama said.

The two presidents stressed the key role that African countries, regional economic communities and the African Union must continue to play in the pursuit of peace and security on the African continent, particularly now in the Horn of Africa, West Africa and Great Lakes Region.

In addition, the two leaders discussed the serious threat posed by terrorism and underlined their commitment to fight the scourge together with the international community.

They also committed to re-dedicate their efforts to combat transnational crimes through the exchange of information and intelligence at both bilateral and multinational levels.

President Mahama's visit to Kenya is expected to rekindle the close historic ties between Kenya and Ghana, which for decades seemed to have been forgotten.

The Ghanaian president, who came to Kenya on Thursday for a state visit at the invitation of President Kenyatta, is the first sitting president of Ghana to come to Kenya even though the two nations have been tied to each other through the close friendship between their founding fathers.

President Mahama was welcomed to State House, Nairobi, in the morning with a colourful ceremony, accompanied by a 21-gun salute.

President Uhuru and First Lady Margaret Kenyatta later hosted a luncheon for the visiting head of state and his entourage, consisting of cabinet ministers and senior government officials.

Kenyatta commended Mahama for spearheading efforts against the Ebola virus in his capacity as chairman of ECOWAS, as well as his efforts in addressing the challenges that faced Burkina Faso.

His Ghanian counterpart applauded him for his peace-building efforts in Somalia and South Sudan.

The close ties between Kenya and Ghana date back to the pre-colonial days when Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah, and Kenya's first president, Jomo Kenyatta, were united in anti-colonial crusades.

When Ghana got independence in 1957, it encouraged the anti-colonial struggle in Kenya and other African nations.