The queen of Belgium Queen Mathilde has arrived in Ghana for a three day State visit.
The queen arrived onboard Brussels Airlines Flight SN277 which touched down at the Kotoka International Airport at about 16:55 hours GMT.
On Arrival
The queen was met on arrival at Jubilee Lounge by the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mohammed Tijani Habib, the Minister for Planning, Professor Gyan Baffour, Belgian ambassador to Ghana, Huyge Chartry, and the Chief of Protocol, Mr. Peprah Ampratwum.
Day Two of the Visit
The second day of the queens visit will commence with a breakfast meeting at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel to exchange with the Civil Society Platform members and Business leaders. The queen will subsequently depart Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel to visit Teshie Presec SHS, Osu Presec SHS and the Makola Market.
In the afternoon on the second day, the queen will attend a Luncheon meeting at Mövenpick with the First Lady Rebecca Akufo Addo and the Second Lady Samira Bawumia , Minister for Gender Otiko Djaba, Cultural Icons, Traditional Leaders, UNESCO and UNICEF. The focus of the Luncheon will be on Gender (forced marriages, keeping girls in school).
The queen will resume her visits by first going to 2nd Image International. She will proceed to Niche Cocoa Industry located at the Tema Free Zone; (a Private Company financed by BIO Invest, a Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries).
What Will happen on day Three
On the third day of the queen’s visit, she will Meet with President Akufo-Addo, at the Ceremonial for bilateral talks. After the meeting, the President will host the queen to a working lunch at the Banquet Hall, Flagstaff House. The two leaders will transfer to the University of Ghana Campus for a Public Lecture on the topic: “The SDGs- a transformative agenda for the future that we want”. The Keynote Speaker will be Her Majesty Queen Mathilde.
The Queen
Her Majesty the Queen was born in Uccle on 20 January 1973. She is the daughter of Count and Countess Patrick d’Udekem d’Acoz. She attended primary school in Bastogne and secondary school in Brussels, before studying speech therapy and psychology. The Queen worked as a speech therapist from 1995 to 1999.
She married Prince Philippe on 4 December 1999 and they had four children: a daughter Elisabeth (2001), now Duchess of Brabant, two sons Gabriël (2003) and Emmanuel (2005), and another daughter Eléonore (2008). As the mother of four young children, the Queen attaches great importance to her family.
The Queen assists the King in carrying out his functions as Head of State. These include numerous visits to institutions, contacts with the population, ceremonies in Belgium and abroad, state visits, promoting Belgium’s image abroad, audiences with representatives of various groups in society and countless trips all over the country.
Apart from her activities in the company of the King, the Queen also devotes time to issues that are close to her heart. She regularly visits social institutions and medical centres. These contacts help her to stay in touch with the people and their needs and requirements and with the many initiatives undertaken in Belgium to help others. The Queen attaches a great deal of importance to close contact with the population.
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/Wilberforce Asare
