Ghana's President to chair China-Africa forum

Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama is billed to chair this year's China-Africa Local Government Cooperation forum scheduled in Beijing from August 27 to 28, the state-run Ghana News Agency reported Wednesday.

The forum, co-hosted by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa, will strengthen local-level cooperation between China and Africa.

Sun Baohong, Chinese ambassador to Ghana, announced this when she paid a courtesy call on Julius Debrah, minister of Local Government and Rural Development in Accra.

Sun said exchanges between Chinese and African local governments played a major role in strengthening China-Africa relations, adding that the forum would push China-Africa friendship and cooperation to a new height.

The forum, she said, would consist of a summit of local governors and an economic and trade forum with more than 1,000 people, including representatives of Non-Governmental Organizations.

Sun said Chinese enterprises had entered Africa one after another while an increasing number of Chinese provinces and cities were giving aid to Africa by sending medical teams annually and offering programs to train various types of qualified personnel on the continent.

She said both sides shared the aspiration that a comprehensive platform would be built to further promote practical cooperation between the local governments and enhance their exchanges and cooperation.

Debrah, on behalf of the government, thanked the Chinese government for choosing President Mahama to chair the upcoming forum.