Ghana, Canada sign Letter of Intent of deepen Bilateral Cooperation

Ghana and Canada have signed a Letter of Intent to deepen bilateral relations, with aviation, railway development, trade, education, mining and renewable energy among key areas of cooperation.

Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa announced the development in a Facebook post following an official visit to Ottawa, Canada, at the invitation of Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anita Anand.

The agreement is expected to strengthen cooperation between the two countries and pave the way for negotiations on a defence agreement.

KEY AREAS OF COOPERATION

According to Mr Ablakwa, the Letter of Intent outlines mutually agreed priority areas, including aviation, railway development, trade facilitation, education, agribusiness, value addition, mining, counterterrorism, renewable energy and artificial intelligence.

He said the discussions also covered the commencement of negotiations for a defence agreement as part of efforts to expand cooperation between Ghana and Canada.

Mr Ablakwa described his meeting with Ms Anand as substantive and progressive, noting that both countries were committed to building on their longstanding relationship.

LABOUR MOBILITY AND SCHOLARSHIPS

The two countries are also exploring structured labour mobility pathways and increased scholarship opportunities to strengthen people-to-people relations and expand access to education.

Mr Ablakwa said Ghana and Canada would become stronger allies under President John Dramani Mahama’s Reset Agenda and Canada’s Strategic Plan for Africa, which was launched on Ghana’s Independence Day on March 6 last year.

SECURITY, GLOBAL COOPERATION

The discussions further addressed international security and humanitarian challenges, including the crisis in Sudan, instability in Haiti and efforts to combat violent extremism in the Sahel region.

Mr Ablakwa said the two countries had agreed to strengthen cooperation at the multilateral level, focusing on United Nations reforms, climate justice and the restructuring of the global financial architecture.

He added that the renewed partnership would support Ghana’s broader diplomatic priorities as the country prepared to chair the African Union (AU).

The Letter of Intent signals a renewed commitment by both countries to expand cooperation across economic, security, educational and diplomatic sectors.