The Member of Parliament for Ledzokuku, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, has renewed calls for government to make the French Language compulsory in the country in the wake of Ghana’s strengthening of ties with Cote d’Ivoire.
Bilateral relationships between the two countries have in the last year moved a notch higher and Presidents of Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire have started a new chapter by exploring more opportunities and avenues for the mutual benefit of their citizens.
President Alassane Ouattara of Cote d’Ivoire is currently in Accra on a two-day State visit in the aftermath of the judgement of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) on Ghana’s maritime dispute with Cote d’Ivoire.
Earlier in May President Akufo-Addo as part of his ECOWAS tour paid a visit to President Ouattara who was a special guest at the former’s investiture in Accra on January 7.
President Nana Akufo-Addo on Monday lauded President Ouattara for his show of statesmanship in the aftermath of the decision on the maritime dispute which the two countries have committed themselves to implement.
“We realised there was a delicate moment, when it came to this dispute over our maritime border but your statesmanship, friendship and regard for the interests of our two countries, made it possible for us to overcome that delicate moment, and use it as a basis for forging even stronger relations between us,” President Akufo-Addo said.
Commenting on the bilateral relations between the two countries on TV3’s New Day Tuesday in the wake of the visit to Ghana by Ouattara, Dr. Boy said “language is very key and we [Ghana] must make French our language because it will benefit both countries”.
He explained that “you are likely to have a bond with people who speak the same language with you but in Ghana, once you cross Burkina, Ivory Coast and Togo, you are a strange person because you can’t speak the same language.
“That is why we [Ghana and its neighbouring countries] see ourselves as foreigners because we don’t understand the [French] language”, the MP explained.
On the issue of security, the MP said “security in West Africa and boundary dispute is paramount because Ghana and Ivory Coast are most powerful in African Countries apart from Nigeria.
“Ones you take someone to court, it is combative, so for us to win the case and still maintain the relationship, we need to talk because you can win the case but the other partner can make life hard for you,” he added.
MP for Bongo, Edward Abambire Bawa observed “good neighborliness is good and the relationships between these countries [Ghana- Cote d’Ivoire] have been very cordial”.
“I feel surprise even at the height of the court ruling, they still have good relationship”, the MP noted.
Mr. Bawa said the Ghana-Ivory Coast tells us that working together irrespective of political affiliation, working together is good”.
“If you are united, irrespective of ethic, regions, religious and political background, it is good” he said.
He added that “the two countries are the two leading cocoa producers in the world, it is only fair that the two countries start thinking and collaborate to have a stake in cocoa production and pricing”.
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