By Gloria Anderson
A high-powered government delegation from the Republic of Vanuatu, led by the Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic, Rt. Hon. Seoul Davidson Simeon, and four other senior Ministers and Members of Parliament, will visit Ghana from July 3–14, 2023.
The visit, which is at the invitation of the Trade Commissioner of Vanuatu to Ghana, Prof. Hugh Aryee, is to foster bilateral trade and political affiliation with the government, parliament, relevant ministries and the business community of Ghana.
When in Ghana, the delegation is expected to visit the President of the Republic, address the Parliament of Ghana, and interact with the various business entities to drum home the relevance and importance of investing in Vanuatu.
The delegation is being accompanied by Hon. Seremaiah Matai Nawalu, Member of Parliament and Minister of Trade, Industry, Tourism and Ni-Vanuatu Businesses; Hon. Anatole Hymak, Member of Parliament, Chairman of the Economics and Foreign Policies Standing Committees of Vanuatu Parliament; Mr. Noel Kalo, Director of the Department of Trade; and Mr. Gaetan Ruru, who oversees Interparliamentary Relations at the office of the Parliament of Vanuatu.
The delegation will also take part in a colourful and groundbreaking flag-raising ceremony, including those of the subregional countries which fall under the jurisdiction of the Trade Commissioner, which will take place at the forecourt of the Trade Commission.
The delegation will also visit some tourist sites, such as the Cape Coast Slave Castle and the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum, to pay homage to the industrious and first president of the Republic of Ghana.
The Rt Hon. Simeon, the Speaker, has expressed his joy and delight for the whole nation, his optimism, and the prospects of the first official visit of the parliament of Vanuatu and a government delegation to the Republic of Ghana.
The Republic of Vanuatu is an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean, northeast of New Caledonia, east of Australia, and west of Fiji. The Y-shaped chain of fourteen main islands between the South Pacific Ocean and the Coral Sea is of volcanic origin and home to several active volcanoes.
The islands offer scuba diving at coral reefs, underwater caverns, and wrecks such as the WWII-era troopship SS President Coolidge. Harborside Port Vila, the nation’s capital and economic centre, is on the island of Efate. The city is home to the Vanuatu National Museum, which explores the nation’s Melanesian culture.
