France recognize Ghana's potential

President Francois Hollande President Francois Hollande President John Mahama and French President Francois Hollande have agreed on a number of projects to be financed under the French Development Agency’s support for Ghana. The two presidents, in a meeting at the Elysee Palace, discussed trade and development assistance to Ghana, improved military cooperation, security and democracy in West Africa and the Sahel regions of Africa, conflicts, terrorism and the need for Ghana to take advantage of its presence within a Francophone block to enhance the teaching and learning of the French language. President Hollande, who has just marked his first year in office, observed that despite their francophone-anglophone backgrounds, Ghana and France share a number of common views on governance and democracy. He observed that Ghana’s economic progress has been widely recognized, noting that the country and others in Africa are doing well at a time when the global economy is in recession. According to him, Ghana is one of the few countries with huge potential for growth in the world. President Hollande said he supports the new phase of his country’s relationship with Ghana, explaining that his invitation to President Mahama was aimed at enhancing that relationship and familiarize better with development in Ghana. The two presidents agreed to more French support in the area of tertiary education and support with French technical instructors and training of more Ghanaian French teachers in September. On Mali, President Hollande thanked Ghana for the support during the deployment of troops to Mali. He lauded Ghana for sending an engineering contingent to support the West African country. President Mahama thanked his host for the invitation and for sending a high-level team to the funeral of the late President John Atta Mills. He also acknowledged the growing presence of French businesses in Ghana, thanking the French government for the decision to keep Ghana among its 14 priority countries earmarked for support by the French Development Agency. Answering a question after the meeting on the outcome of such official and state visits, President Mahama told journalists that his visit to Turkey and now France have significant impact.