Tamás Endre Fehér, Hungary’s new ambassador to Ghana, paid former President John Dramani Mahama a courtesy call in his office in Cantonments, Accra, to formally introduce himself and discuss subjects of common importance to the two countries.
Mr. Mahama welcomed the ambassador, who will begin his tenure in September 2021, and recalled Ghana and Hungary’s long-standing alliance, which dates back to the government of first President Kwame Nkrumah.
He recognized how the connection between the two nations developed under his Minister for Foreign Affairs, Madam Hanna Tetteh, whose mother was Hungarian, culminating in the increase of Hungarian scholarships to Ghana from two to fifty, and subsequently to 100.
Mr. Mahama provided an outline of the country’s difficulties, including the economic malaise caused by mismanagement and excessive borrowing, all of which have contributed to great sufferings for the Ghanaian people.
The former President emphasized that the issues affecting the nation as a result of mismanagement began long before the Covid-19 outbreak occurred and the Russian-Ukraine war began.
He stated that this was despite the fact that previous National Democratic Congress (NDC) administrations resolved a crippling power crisis, leaving the current government with economic buffers such as the Sinking Fund, Heritage Fund, Stabilisation Fund, and a high IMF and World Bank projected growth rate, which the government inherited in 2017 but failed to sustain.
Mr. Mahama further emphasized the government’s lack of political will in combating corruption involving its own appointees, as well as the forced resignation of the Auditor General, which he claims is “because the government does not want accountability.”
Ambassador Tamás Fehér thanked the former President for the reception and expressed his delight that Hungarian expertise had contributed to Ghana’s growth in a variety of ways.
He praised former Foreign Minister Hanna Tetteh for her efforts in helping to enhance the ties between the two countries.
He also expressed optimism that the two countries’ friendship would grow even stronger, vowing that the scholarships would be increased.
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SOURCE: 3NEWS
