Former Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, has praised Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia for his keynote address at the International Democratic Union Conference held in Washington DC, describing it as "excellent".

He also praised the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) for their "tremendous" work in support of freedom and democracy locally and internationally.

Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Can-ada from 2006 to 2015, announced this in a tweet following Vice President Bawumia's keynote address at the IDU Conference recently.

My congratulations to Ghana's Vice President, H.E., Dr @MBawumia, for his outstanding keynote address at the IDU Fo-rum 2022 in Washington, D.C." I applaud the @NPP GH party for their outstanding efforts to promote freedom and democracy in Ghana and across the African continent. "#IDUDC," he wrote on Twitter.

Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, among others, elaborated on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine crises on trade in his keynote address at the IDU Conference.

While these issues have caused disrup-tions in global trade and prompted some countries to adopt inward-looking policies, he believes they have also presented an opportunity for enhanced collaboration on trade diversification.

The IDU is made up of various cen-ter-right conservative political parties from around the world. The union provides these parties with networking and collaboration opportunities. It was established in 1983.

Former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper praised Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia's keynote address at the International Democratic Union Con-ference in Washington DC as "excellent," while praising the ruling New Patriotic Par-ty (NPP) for their "tremendous" work in support of freedom and democracy locally and internationally.