Nicaragua courts Ghana’s support for AU observer status

Nicaragua, a country on the Central American Continent has sought Ghana’s support on its bid to secure membership of the African Union (AU) as an observer.

The country’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Denis Ronaldo Moncada Colindres, presented a letter to President Akufo-Addo on behalf of his President, Daniel Ortega, on the subject.

Addressing President Akufo-Addo before presenting the letter, the Nicaraguan Foreign Minister said Ghana’s support to their bid was very important to them, thus the letter from the President.

In response to the request, President Akufo-Addo said his office will consider the letter as delivered to him from the Nicaraguan President, Daniel Ortega, and act on it accordingly.

President Akufo-Addo seized the advantage of the visit to extend an invitation to the people of Nicaragua to visit Ghana as part of the celebration of the “Year of Return”.

Denis Ronaldo Moncada Colindres accepted the invitation and assured President Akufo-Addo that he will convey same to the President and people of Nicaragua.

Nicaragua, a country in Central America, is the largest of the Central American republics. Nicaragua can be characterised by its agricultural economy, its history of autocratic government, and its imbalance of regional development—almost all settlement and economic activities are concentrated in the western half of the country.

The country’s name is derived from Nicarao, chief of the indigenous tribe that lived around present-day Lake Nicaragua during the late 15th and early 16th centuries.

Nicaragua has a unique history in that it was the only country in Latin America to be colonised by both the Spanish and the British. Nicaragua’s population is made up mostly of mestizos (people of mixed European and Indian ancestry). The national capital is Managua, which also is the country’s largest city and home to about one-sixth of the population.

Secretary-General, Commonwealth meets President Akufo-Addo

In a related development, President Akufo-Addo has told the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Patricia Scotland, that Ghana continues to attach a great deal of importance to its membership of the Commonwealth.

President Akufo-Addo said this when the Secretary-General paid a courtesy call on him at Jubilee House yesterday.

“We, right from 1957, the year of our independence, have been a strong and faithful member of the Commonwealth. It continues to be very important for us regarding our membership of the Commonwealth,” President Akufo-Addo said.

He expressed happiness about the way Mad Patricia has been leading the Commonwealth since she became the Secretary-General.

Mad Patricia Scotland QC is in Ghana to participate in the Commonwealth Youth Senior Officials Meeting (African Region) ongoing, in Accra.

In her remarks, she indicated that she is excited to attend and address the Youth Senior officials meeting in Ghana. She also commended President Akufo-Addo for his stalwart support for the Commonwealth.

The Commonwealth Secretariat convenes a four-yearly Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting (CYMM), including a Youth Leaders Forum and Stakeholders Forum.

The meeting enables government ministers and senior officials to share good practices, debate emerging issues, take stock of pioneering initiatives and forge new partnerships for resourcing youth development.

Foreign Affairs Minister of Nicaragua presenting the letter to President Akufo-Addo