Presidents of Ghana and Equatorial Guinea, meeting in Malabo

© Gob. de Guinea Ecuatorial/afrol News

afrol News, 13 May - Equatorial Guinea will export one million barrels of oil to Ghana every six months, according to information given to afrol News after the recent visit of the President of Ghana to Equatorial Guinea.

Ghana is to receive one million barrels of crude oil every six months from Equatorial Guinea. The first shipment is already to be made in the month of July, Ghanaian official sources told afrol News.

The agreement was made during the three-day official visit to Equatorial Guinea made last week by the President of Ghana, John Evans Atta Mills, at the invitation of his Equatoguinean counterpart, Teodoro Obiang Ngeuma. President Atta was accompanied by Chris Kpodo, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister of Ghana.

Under the agreement signed between the two countries at the end of the visit, Deputy Minister Kpodo said leaders of both countries had discussed ways of strengthening bilateral relations, leading to the signing of four agreements of cooperation in the areas of agriculture, small and medium sized businesses, trade and education.

In turn, it is expected that a delegation from Equatorial Guinea will shortly fly to Ghana to discuss with Accra authorities the best way to promote cooperation in the fields of oil, shipping, education and culture as well as fishing and the environment.

Deputy Minister Kpodo added that Ghana and Equatorial Guinea share a rich experience in oil exploration, and anticipated that the Ghana Export Promotion Council (GEPC) would soon celebrate a trade event in the former Spanish colony to showcase Ghanaian products.

President Atta's visit to Equatorial Guinea had attracted the attention of the main political opposition group in Equatorial Guinea, Convergence for Social Democracy (CPDS). Through a statement sent to afrol News, CPDS said it was "striking that, in the space of twelve years, three elected presidents of Ghana have visited our country, and all three have been received the same host, in power for 31 years: President Obiang."

"Regardless of the reason for these visits, our party wishes to highlight the democratic alternations that are observed in Ghana and the total lack of alternation that exists in Equatorial Guinea, associated with unscrupulous trampling of basic democratic principles. For while in Ghana, there are held free and fair elections, in Equatorial Guinea rigged polls are organised and then, US PR companies are contracted at exorbitant fees," the CPDS statement concluded.

By staff writers

© afrol News

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