Akufo-Addo Arrives in Togo to Rousing Welcome

By Jeffrey Darko

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Tuesday, May 2, 2017, arrived in Lome, the capital of the Republic of Togo to a rousing welcome from residents, at the commencement of his 3-day visit.

Mr Akufo-Addo, who made the trip to Togo by road, was met at the Aflao border by the Togolese President, Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, together with hundreds and hundreds of Ghanaians and Togolese who had lined up along the principal streets of Aflao en route to Lome.

Amidst the waving of flags of the two countries, Mr Akufo-Addo and Mr Gnassingbé acknowledged the cheers of welcome and greetings from ecstatic residents, as they made their way to the presidential palace for their first meeting.

The two leaders were met at the presidential palace by Togolese politician, Gilchrist Olympio, son of Sylvanus Olympio, Togo's first President. Gilchrist Olympio was a long-time opponent of the regime of Gnassingbé Eyadema, and was President of the Union of Forces for Change (UFC), Togo's main opposition party from the 1990s till 2013, when he responded to the calls by President Faure Gnassingbé, son of the late President Eyadema, for national reconciliation, which saw him take a senior position in the Togolese State.

Mr Akufo-Addo's visit to Togo is part of the first phase of his tour of countries of the ECOWAS region.

The visit will afford him the opportunity to introduce himself, as the new Ghanaian leader, formally to the governments and peoples of Ghana's neighbouring countries, explore and deepen bilateral relations with them, and reiterate Ghana's full commitment to the ECOWAS project.

Wednesday, May 3, 2017, day two of Nana Akufo-Addo's visit, will see him visit the Noepe border post, accompanied by President Faure Gnassingbé, before the pair hold bilateral talks at the presidential palace. A working ministerial session of the two delegations will also take place simultaneously at the palace. Foreign Minister, Hon. Shirley AYorkor Boatchway, MP; Trade and Industry Minister, Hon. Alan Kyerematen; National Security Minister, Hon. Albert Kan Dapaah; Interior Minister, Hon. Ambrose Dery, MP; Defence Minister, Hon. Dominic Nitiwul, MP; Sanitation and Water Resources Minister, Hon. Kofi Adda, MP, are all part of Nana Akufo-Addo's delegation.

President Akufo-Addo will also be taken on a tour of the harbour at Lome, before interacting with the Ghanaian community resident in Togo. A State dinner hosted by the Togolese President will be held in honour of President Akufo-Addo, later that evening.

The President will depart on Thursday morning for Ouagadougou, to begin his two-day visit to Burkina Faso.

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