Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo: “The Ghanaian State is committed to OATUU and African workers”

The Secretariat of the Organisation of African Trade Union Unity (OATUU) led by its Secretary-General, Mr. Arezki Mezhoud, has been received by the President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the presidential palace, Jubilee House in Accra.

The meeting which took place on Monday, 12 April 2021, was attended by the Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr. Alan Kyerematen, the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Mr. Ignatius Baffour Awuah and the Secretary-General and the Vice-President of Ghana TUC, Dr. Anthony Yaw Baah and Mrs. Philomena Aba Sampson.

Invited to speak, the Secretary-General of OATUU congratulated the President on his re-election as Head of State of Ghana and thanked him for reaching out to OATUU. He also expressed gratitude for the continued support that the Ghanaian government shows to OATUU and gave a brief presentation on the organisation’s history and the reasons its founders chose Ghana as OATUU’s home.

He then spoke about the historic role that the Ghanaian people, under the leadership of its first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah played in the struggle against colonialism, imperialism and apartheid and added that the democratic experience in Ghana was being followed with keen interest by many, in Africa and across the world.

Mr. Mezhoud also seized the opportunity to extend an invitation to the President to grace OATUU’s 50th anniversary celebration which will take place in April 2023 in Accra, Ghana, with his presence. 

Concluding his remarks, he welcomed the Ghanaian experience in terms of social dialogue and paid a heartfelt tribute to the government of Ghana under the leadership of his Excellency, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and also to Ghanaian health workers for their efforts in managing the Covid-19 pandemic.

After welcoming the delegation from OATUU, His Excellency, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, said in reply to his guests, that the best way to overcome the challenges that Africa was recently facing, in particular the coronavirus pandemic, would be to deal with them in a pan-African context. He also expressed Ghana’s commitment to OATUU and said that greater cooperation between Ghana and OATUU would be essential to foster growth and development at the local level and on the African continent as well. He stressed the importance of African institutions such as UN-Habitat and Ghana-based ACFTA and called for a unified approach across the continent to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.

At the end of the meeting, the Secretary-General of OATUU presented President Nana Akufo-Addo with a symbolic gift.