The French Embassy in Ghana has celebrated the 2024 edition of France’s National Day at a memorable event that highlighted both the Francophonie and the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Held at the gardens of the Résidence de France on Saturday, July 13, 2024 the people of France hosted the good people of Ghana, led by the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to celebrate this year’s National Day.
The celebration, which started early in the evening and ran until midnight, was spiced up with live band performances and a display of the culture.
In his address, the French Ambassador to Ghana, Jules Armand Aniambossou indicated that a national day is an opportunity to come together and lift high the motto of the French Republic, adding that “Tonight, more than ever, we must remember and celebrate our shared values.”
The Ambassador was delighted that President Akufo-Addo joined him to share in the moment. He said the gesture was a testament to the fruitful friendship between France and Ghana, which has steadily grown stronger in recent years.
AFD PROJECTS
The ambassador highlighted the longstanding partnership existing between France and Ghana and mentioned in particular the presence of the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) on Ghanaian soil for more than 40 years.
According to him, since 2023, through AFD Group financing, France has taken steps to upscale its efforts in Northern Ghana, in the agricultural sector, particularly in the production of shea butter, an activity mainly carried out by women’s cooperatives, among others.
MEMBERSHIP
Ghana has applied for full membership of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF). Ambassador Jules Armand Aniambossou announced that the change in status will, hopefully, be made official at the 19th Francophonie Summit, to be held in Villers-Cotterêts and Paris on October 4th and 5th, 2024.
He noted that France had consistently supported Ghana’s candidature, in conjunction with Ghanaian ministries, academic stakeholders, universities, regional French-language education centres and others.
Beyond the existing partnerships, the Ambassador announced that in 2024, France intends to strengthen the role of women in international institutions by setting up a course for French-speaking women.
He explained that it will enable them to increase their leadership and participation in the field of peace and security.
On the economic front, he said that France had demonstrated its full support for Ghana during the crisis, citing the role of the Paris Club in Ghana’s bilateral debt restructuring.
He also mentioned France’s investment in Ghana’s creative arts industry and the sports sector before thanking sponsors of the 2024 National Day celebration to end his address.
On his part, President Akufo-Addo reiterated Ghana’s appreciation to the people and government of France for their support in the debt restructuring.
He thanked the Paris Club, “whose official creditor committee is co-chaired by the Republic of France and the People’s Republic of China, for the satisfactory work that has brought a solution to Ghana’s debt restructuring, as the Ambassador said, in record’s time. I have personally already expressed my appreciation and thanks to President Macron and President Xi Jinping.”
The French National Day is celebrated on July 14 each year, on the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille Prison in Paris in 1789.
