The President of Malta, Dr George William Vella, will arrive in the country this evening for a three-day state visit.
He will be accompanied by his wife, Miriam Vella, and a delegation of public servants and private sector representatives to hold talks and network with the Ghanaian private sector within the framework of bilateral and trade relations between the two countries.
President Vella will be received at the Kotoka International Airport by the Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, and other government officials.
Tomorrow, President Vella will hold bilateral talks with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House, after which a guard of honour is mounted for him at the forecourt of the seat of government.
The two leaders will later address a press conference at the Jubilee House.
Later in the evening, a state banquet will be held for the visiting President and his delegation at the Jubilee House.
The First Lady of Ghana, Rebecca Akufo-Addo, will lead the First Lady of Malta to visit the Little Explorers Montessori, which has learners of 40 nationalities, after which they will join the two Presidents at the National Lottery Authority (NLA).
The NLA was established by Maltese and had its first managing director being a Maltese.
President Vella and First Lady Miriam will then visit the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum where he will lay wreaths and embark on a guided tour.
On Saturday, President Vella and his wife will call on the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, at the Manhyia Palace.
While in Kumasi, they will visit the HopeExchange Hospital established by a Maltese non-governmental organisation as part of the Health Cooperation between Ghana and Malta.
The hospital, aimed to be a teaching hospital, was established with support from the Malta Government, the Vatican and donors from other parts of the world.
Chocolate factory
Before their departure on Sunday, President Vella, his wife and the delegation will visit the 57 Chocolate Factory, a Ghanaian women-owned luxury chocolate brand that evokes 1957— Ghana’s independence.
Background
An Island country in Southern Europe, Malta chose Ghana as the preferred choice for the establishment of its first-ever mission, the High Commission in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
In 2014, Ghana became the first sub-saharan country to establish a resident mission in Valletta, the Malta capital.
In the same year, both countries signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish a Joint Commission for Cooperation which enabled them to deepen bilateral cooperation in areas including migration, tourism, medicine, education, fisheries, sports, and candidature of diplomatic appointments.
Malta reciprocated the diplomatic ties by opening a resident mission in Accra in 2019, serving as its diplomatic mission in SSA.
Five years ago, the two signed an agreement on the waiver of visa requirements for holders of diplomatic and official/service passports.
Currently, Ghana is seeking the support of Malta and other Commonwealth member states for the candidature of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, as the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Secretariat.
