New Ghanaian Envoy Calls on Ambassador Victor Bockarie Foh

Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, with accreditation to many other countries in the South-East Asian Pacific, has stated that the role played by Ghana in ensuring Africa’s emancipation from Colonial Rule was  extraordinary.

"After Ghana's independence led by President Kwame Nkruma in 1957, the Flood Gates of African Freedom were opened and one after the other,dozens of other African countries including my country, Sierra Leone, got their independence. "

His Excellency Victor Bockarie Foh made these remarks during a courtesy call on him by Ghana’s new Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, His Excellency Anani Okuminyi Demuyakor. The new Envoy comes in as a seasoned diplomat, who studied in China and worked in the Ghanaian Embassy here in China for many years before his appointment as Ambassador. 

Welcoming his colleague Diplomat within the framework of the African Union and ECOWAS, Ambassador Foh underscored that “Ghana is a big brother in the emancipation of our continent” but that notwithstanding, "she was painfully entangled in a sad chapter in her political history, after the overthrow of the late President Kwame Nkrumah whilst on his way to the People’s Republic of China”  

Ambassador Foh commended Ghana for  graduating from military regimes to an admirable and progressive democratic country today. He  made reference to the very transparent Ghana 2000 democratic Elections, where in he was an IFES sponsored Elections Observer, representing the All Political Parties Association (APPA) of Sierra Leone and assigned to the Twin Cities of Sekondi-Takoradi. “Men in uniforms taking over political power without the people's' mandate is no longer fanciful. Ghana followed the Sierra Leone example to welcome democracy and say NO to rule by the GUN. Ghana, your beautiful country,has gone through several democratic elections since 2000”, Envoy Foh said.

Briefing his colleague Ambassador on recent developments back home, within the perspective of the Mano River Union, Ambassador Foh said that there is ongoing fight to eradicate the Ebola Virus in three of the four MRU Countries (Guinea, Liberia Sierra Leone). All the Presidents of the three affected countries and their governments are working round the clock to put this challenge behind them.

At the MRU level here in China, Ambassador Foh said, there was a meeting of MRU Heads of Missions in China at which a number of issues of Sub-Regional and Regional dimensions, including the Ebola Virus were discussed. Plans, he said, there are, to take the Ebola issue to the ECOWAS Group of Ambassadors so that the People's Republic of China could be more adequately briefed through the  FOCAC and raise greater international awareness and support. 

Ambassador Foh also used the opportunity to again thank the People's Republic of China for her initial support and also extended similar sentiments of appreciation on behalf of all the countries so affected, to the Federal Republic of Nigeria for providing much valuable support towards the fight against the Ebola Virus in the three countries in the Mano River Union.

Ambassador Foh ended by assuring the new Ghanaian Ambassador of his willingness to give support to him and Ghana wherever and when ever support was needed. “If there is anyway we can help as an Embassy, kindly let us know”, Ambassador Foh said. 

Speaking earlier, His Excellency Anani Okuminyi Demuyakor thanked Ambassador Foh and Staff for the warm reception accorded him, which in his words, “demonstrates that we are one and the same people” This, he said, has made the relationship between the two countries even more fluid.  Both countries, he went on, have had good exchanges for years both at the higher and lower levels. 

His Excellency Anani Okuminyi Demuyakor also paid outstanding tribute to the leading role Fourah Bay College played in training Ghanaians, saying, “Fourah Bay College is well respected by most of us, Ghanaians.” He thanked Sierra Leone, through Ambassador Foh, for the country’s support to Ghanaian Leaders during their days of struggle for self rule, saying “had it not been for such support, they could not have succeeded in their programs” 

Speaking on his posting as Ghana’s new Envoy to China, Anani Okuminyi Demuyakor said, he was in China as a student in 1989 and in 2002, was Minister Counselor in the Ghana Embassy and when he returned home, he was an Adviser to the Ghanaian Government on Chinese related issues.

He called for closer collaboration especially as ECOWAS Ambassadors saying “we have to start thinking big in terms of what we want and the methods we use to get what we want. Let us get together and get solutions to issues and challenges facing our countries”

The meeting was witnessed by Embassy Staff, including Her Excellency Kumba Alice Momoh, Deputy Ambassador of Sierra Leone to China. 

Sierra Leone Embassy

People’s Republic of China