Israeli Embassy’s new permanent building inaugurated in Accra
A new permanent building for the Embassy of the State of Israeli has been inaugurated in Accra.
The inauguration was jointly performed by Madam Shani Cooper, the Israeli Ambassador to Ghana and Mr Samuel Kofi Dzamesi, Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs.
The Israeli Embassy’s new building is located on the 8th floor, Manet Towers C, Airport City, Accra (Behind Silver Star Towers).
Ghana and Israel have a long term diplomatic and bilateral partnerships, which dates back to late 1950s.
Ghana was the first African country to establish diplomatic relations with the State of Israeli, the second country in Africa to have an Israeli Embassy and the first African country to have a state visit by Madam Golda Meir, Israel’s former Foreign Minister in 1958.
The first Embassy of the State of Israel operated until 1973 when diplomatic relations between the two countries went sour.
In 1994, the diplomatic relations between Ghana and Israeli was re-established but it was only in 2011, that an Israeli Embassy was re-opened in Accra, which has since deepened the diplomatic relations between the two nations.
The new permanent working space of the Israeli Embassy seeks to offer first class innovative services to the people of Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Madam Cooper said the commissioning of the Embassy’s new permanent building would allow them to work in full power to seize the potential in the relations between Israel and Ghana.
She said the Trade and Economic Mission of the Embassy, was working on strengthening the economic ties between the two countries and encouraging Israeli and Ghanaian companies to work with each other.
She said, they were planning to further strengthen the good relations between Israel and Ghana while focusing on agriculture, homeland security, health, renewable energy and water.
“Our prominent outline will be on innovation. We will work with our partners to develop the eco-system, to support start-ups and to work along with the spirit of entrepreneurship here in Ghana,” she said.
“We will cooperate with the Government of Ghana on infrastructure and on the commercialisation capacities for start-ups.”
Mr Dzamesi, who represented President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the event, said the inauguration of the new permanent building of Israel’s Embassy in Accra would go a long way to boost the relationship between the two countries.
He noted that the bilateral relation between Ghana and Israel dated back to 1956 prior to Ghana’s independence with the establishment of a consulate in Accra.
He also recounted that it was Israel that provided Presidential aircraft to Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
He said in April 1959, Israel with the help from India supervised the establishment of the Ghana Air Force, adding that a small Israeli team also trained aircraft maintenance personnel and radio technicians at the Accra based Air Force Trade Training School.
“Ghanaian pilots have continued to receive some training at aviation school in Israel”.
Mr Dzamesi said Ghana had benefited from Israeli assistance in the area of shipping, construction, security, research, manpower training and agriculture.
The Minister said in 2017, the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs drew a flagship programme of facilitating religious adherents to embark on a week pilgrimage to the state of Israel; declaring that since its inception in 2017, the Ministry had facilitated the travel of about 500 Ghanaians to the State of Israel.
“I wish to state that all the pilgrims returned to Ghana after the various trips.”
He said his Ministry on behalf of the Government of Ghana intended to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Israeli Government to formalize the programme.
Mr Dzamesi said in order to streamline the activities of agents, who organise pilgrimages to the State of Israel and other religious sites, his Ministry was putting up a policy guidelines to bring sanity into their operations.
Source: GNA