16 November 2009
Mr. Luca Fratini, Italian Ambassador to Ghana last Thursday set what can be described as the tone for that country's engagement with Ghana as he called for the establishment of partnerships for the mutual benefit of the two countries.
He said the Italian Government believed that the 21st century economy would not be built through giving loans but through effective cooperation leading to development of business interests of partners for mutual growth.
Mr. Fratini was speaking at a press conference in Accra to outline his country's foreign policy engagements with Ghana after presenting his letters of credence to President John Evans Atta Mills earlier in the week.
Mr. Fratini said Italy did not believe in pushing for her own interests to the detriment of others: "We will not resort to master-servant relationship to ensure that we always have our way."
He said his country was implementing a 33 million Euro scheme called Ghana Private Sector Development Facility to give loans at concessionary rates to Ghanaian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to improve on their performance, adding that11 million Euros out of the package has already been disbursed.
He said the Italian Cooperation Agency has also been involved in the water and sanitation improvement projects as well as waste management across the country.
He said Italians were not new to the Ghanaian terrain having built some of her strategic plants including the Akosombo Da, Tema Oil Refinery and other infrastructure. The goodwill the Embassy enjoyed among Ghanaians would urge it to do more to justify its presence in the country, he said.
On the political front, Mr. Fratini said relations between the two countries dated back to the independence days and was given a further boost by the visit of the Italian President Mr. Georgio Napolitanio to Ghana during the Golden Jubilee celebration of Independence.
He said a lot was being done to enhance the relations to ensure that state visits by political actors of both countries to engage in bilateral talks yielded many benefits for their citizenry rather than becoming mere talk shops.
He said just like the over 50,000 Ghanaians in Italy, Italians were hardworking and tolerant, a situation that ensured trust for business engagements.
On culture, he said Italy held about two thirds of the world's cultural heritage, and the Embassy would import some of it to Ghana for the enjoyment of all.
He announced that the Embassy had put in place various cultural activities including film shows, paint exhibitions to be celebrated between November and December 2009 to make the public to appreciate the similarities between the two countries.
Mr Fratini also announced that he was working out a scheme, which would enable a number of Ghanaians to travel to Italy on scholarship to undergo skills acquisition courses to enhance their performance upon return.
Italy, he said, had a specialized institution, which could also provide specialized peacekeeping training for Ghanaian forces to enhance their operations.
On visa acquisition, he said the Embassy would not reject or deny any Ghanaian visa to Italy unless the applicant presented false documents.
He spoke about the country's emerging oil industry and said Italy was hoping that Ghana would learn from the mistakes of other oil producers by formulating policies that would ensure transparency within the sector.
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