Spanish La Liga giants, Read Madrid, on Monday 29 March surprised birthday celebrant and Ghanaian leader, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, with an autographed jersey in Spain, where he is attending a conference.
Players of The White House signed the jersey and presented it through Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez.
The customised No. 77 Real Madrid jersey to President Akufo-Addo was to mark his 77th birthday.
President Akufo-Addo left Ghana on Sunday 28 March 2021 to Spain, to attend the “Focus Africa 2023” Conference, being held in Madrid.
Benefits of AfCFTA
Speaking at the conference, President Akufo-Addo said the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) will link all the 54 markets of Africa, covering 1.2 billion people, into a single market.
“It is the world’s largest free trade area outside of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) itself. By 2050, it will cover an estimated 2.5 billion people, and have over a quarter of the world’s working-age population,” he said.
The president added, “Imagine the investment and business opportunities offered by the infrastructure required to link our markets more effectively. And imagine the business opportunities that this huge market would offer for manufacturing and services firms from Spain and Europe that could establish production facilities in Africa to serve the African markets.”
With the enhanced growth that would result from all these, President Akufo-Addo said that “the market opportunities for exporters from Spain and Europe could be truly amazing.”
Focus Africa 2023, an in-person conference, defines Spanish foreign action in Africa until 2023, and forms part of the Spanish Foreign Action Strategy 2021-2024.
It includes the specific actions the Spanish government intends to take with key stakeholders in Africa, including Ghana, and it is aligned with the realisation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union’s 2063 Agenda.
Akufo-Addo is being accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, and officials of the Presidency and Foreign Ministry.
He is expected to return to Ghana on Tuesday 30 March 2021.
The Vice-President, Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, will act in his stead.
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