The Moroccan Ambassador to Ghana, Her Excellency, Imane Ouaadil, on Thursday 25th May 2023, joined Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration to mark the 60 Anniversary of the African Union at the forecourt of the state house in Accra
Her Excellency, Ambassador Imane Ouaadil, who is also Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in Ghana joined other high level dignitaries and officials to hold a flag raising ceremony and a food bazar to commemorate the 60 anniversary of the African Union(AU)day under the Theme “ Accelerated implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)’
Addressing Dignitaries and participants at the special occasion, Her Excellency Imane Ouaadil described the celebration of the AU day as a significant event in the history of the continent of Africa and the lives of people of Africa
“We are gathered here today to commemorate a very important day for our continent, the 60th anniversary of the establishment of our continental organization the African Union by our visionary panafricanist forefathers’, she stated.
“The celebration of this auspicious anniversary is ever more significant as we have the privilege to celebrate it in Ghana, whose first President the late Kwame Nkrumah formed along a small group of African visionary leaders including Morocco’s Mohammed V the Casablanca group in 1963 a first step to the establishment of our African Union. Ghana is indeed a privileged spot from where we can hail Africa s resilience and Africans tenacity’, she noted.
She said “Our Africa Day this year is celebrated under the theme “Year of AfCFTA: Acceleration of the African Continental Free Trade Area Implementation” As the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement is gathering momentum and rapidly improving intra-African trade across the continent, thereby providing exciting opportunities for pandemic recovery and growth’’.
“It is important to pay tribute again to Ghana for brilliantly hosting the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area under the sterling leadership of His Excellency President Nana Akufo Addo. On behalf of the Africa Group of Ambassadors and High Commissioners accredited to Ghana, on my own behalf I wish to express our pride to be part of this commemoration and reiterate our commitment to take active part in all future initiatives and endeavors that aim to achieve prosperity and well being for our beautiful and resourceful continent.
“Let us also here acknowledge the strong commitment of the Ministry of Foreign affairs and regional Integration of Ghana under the leadership of our boss honorable Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchway for the tremendous work done towards the success of this commemoration.”
“President Nkrumah words spoke many years ago still resonate in our continent he said and I quote: “Africa is one continent, one people, and one nation. The community of economic life is the major feature within a nation, and it is the economy which holds together the people living in a territory. It is on this basis that the new Africans recognize themselves as potentially one nation, whose dominion is the entire African continent. We are the new Africans and we will thrive under Afcfta.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, in a statement read on her behalf by the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Regional Integration, Hon. Thomas Mbomba, stated that the theme for the 60th anniversary of the African Union was critical towards harnessing the opportunities under AfCFTA for Africa’s sustainable development, now and in the future.
The Moroccan Embassy also participated in the food bazar on the occasion of the AU 60th anniversary celebration and exhibited some of the national food and delicacies of the Kingdom
