At the call of State Protocol officials at about 19:30 hours GMT, indicating that Turkish Air flight Number TK 0630 was ready for boarding, the team of five (5) persons, two from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, (Jonathan Andah of the Europe Bureau and Rita Osei of the Economic, Trade and Investment Bureau), one from the Ghana Export Promotion Authority, Maxwell Osei-Kusi (Director in-charge of Research) and another from the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (Edward Ashong-Lartey, Director in-charge of Investor Services) as well as yours truly were assisted to get on board the flight.
The mission this time round was an official visit to Romania by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, at the invitation of her colleague Foreign Affairs Minister of Romania.
The Transit
Upon arrival at the Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, the team had only an hour of transit time. The team hurriedly went through the rather tight security checks at the Turkish airport and headed straight to our boarding gate so not to miss our flight to Bucharest, Romania. Flight Number TK 1043 was airborne at about 07:10 hours local time in Istanbul.
Destination Bucharest
At about 08:15 hours, the hour long flight from Istanbul to Bucharest landed safely in the snowy Romanian capital city and the team disembarked from the Airbus 330-300 aircraft.
The Mix Up
After getting off the flight, I went through the passport control process at the boarder agency first and was cleared to enter Bucharest. However, the remaining four members of the team were held up for a while after a second Romanian boarder agency official raised some concerns over the lack of adequate information at their disposal as far as entry clearance for my four team members was concerned. After a few calls however, my team members were all cleared and admitted into Bucharest.
The Receiving Team
After a five (5) minute walk from the point of entry, the team was met on arrival by three officials. The officials included Her Excellency, Virginia Hesse, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Embassy of Ghana, Prague, who also has concurrent accreditation to Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Macedonia, Minister Worwornyo Agyeman, Embassy of Ghana, Prague and Honorary Consul at the Honorary Consulate of Ghana in Bucharest, Marin Stancu.
Off to Location
After exchanging pleasantries with the receiving party, the team was ushered into our bus for what turned out to be almost an hour’s drive due to rush period traffic in the Romanian capital from the Henri Coandâ Airport to Athenéé Palace Hilton Hotel, 1-3 Episcopiei Street, Bucharest Sector 1.
Room 419
With the weather at five (-5) degrees Celsius, all team members quickly grabbed their luggage and made our way to the welcoming warm temperature at the hotel’s reception area. Our passports were taken by the receptionists for processing and allocation of rooms and guess what, I was assigned to room 419. Upon seeing the room number, my Ghanaian instincts suggested to me to request a change of room number because of the issue of fraud associated with the numbers (419). However, I convinced myself that I was far from fraud in faraway Romania in Eastern Europe.
Arrival of the Minister
The receiving officials after assisting us to check in, informed the Foreign Affairs officials on the team and myself that we would reassemble at the hotel lobby at 13:00 hours local time in Bucharest to return to the airport to receive the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration. At about 14:45 hours, Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey and two additional staff of her office arrived and were received at the VIP lounge by officials of the Foreign Ministry of Romania as well as the receiving party that had attended to the earlier team that arrived in the morning of which I was part.
Let the Diplomatic Engagements Begin
Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey’s engagements would begin immediately after her arrival in Bucharest. The now complete team thus left the airport to freshen up and to hit the ground running.
First Port of Call
A meeting with the Minister for National Education of Romania, Valentin Popa, at the Ministry of National Education in Bucharest, Romania was first on the agenda. Team members quickly joined the waiting vehicles and in a convoy, we drove to the Ministry.
Romanian’s Education Authorities after the meeting gave a strong indication that they will, going forward, develop a partnership with their colleagues in the Ghanaian education system to find sustainable ways through which they can assist in the fight to eradicate child school drop outs in Ghana through Government’s Free SHS Programme.
This pledge of cooperation came up at what the foreign Minister described as a foundation laying meeting between her and the Minister for National Education of Romania.
The Pledge and Plan
In an interview after the closed door bilateral talks, Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey observed that her meeting with the Romanian Education Minister was preliminary and that the Minister for Education in Ghana will pick it up and develop the actual modalities to make the pledge a reality.
“There emerged one interesting area of similarity which is the fact that they have a very rigorous programme to ensure that they eradicate school drop outs at the Senior High School level and that is exactly what we are trying to do in Ghana with the Free Senior High School Programme to ensure that every child in Ghana has the opportunity not to truncate his or education at the Junior High School level. So what we have done is to just lay the foundation for the Ministry of Education to take it up,” the Minister said.
Potential Romanian Education in Ghana
During the deliberations, the two parties discussed the possibility of Romanian Tertiary Educational Institutions establishing their presence in Ghana. The Foreign Affairs Minister indicated that the Romanian Education Minister and his team showed great interest in investing in the Ghanaian education sector. She was hopeful that the follow-up by the Education Ministry in Ghana will yield good fruits in that regard.
“We have our areas of competence and they have theirs as well, so we’re looking at how we can cooperate in terms of exchange programmes not just for students but also for lecturers and professors. It was even mentioned that some of their universities could set up campuses in Ghana,” the Minister emphasized.
The Romanian Education System
In Romania, high school starts in the 9th grade and generally takes 4 years to complete; vocational high schools take 5 years. Public high schools significantly outnumber private ones. Public institutions do not charge tuition fees and offer scholarships to students with academic merit or/and need.
The Romanian secondary education system includes: National Colleges – the most prestigious, well equipped, and internationally-connected secondary institutions in Romania; Military Colleges – administered by the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Justice and other such ministries, alongside the Ministry of Education.
The others are the Economic and Technical Colleges – both offer academic programs geared towards technical/service industry training; High Schools – usually a high school’s name is indicative of its academic focus, for instance, theoretical high schools, economic high schools, etc.
Time with the Business Moguls
The next destination of the team was 45 minutes drive away from the city centre in Bucharest called Sangov. What was supposed to be a pure business meeting had an icing on the cake, a four course dinner with five leading Business Magnates in Romania. After what can be described as very fruitful deliberations and a good meal, all the five business moguls expressed great interest in investing in Ghana after the three-hour session on business opportunities in Ghana with the Ghanaian delegation.
The Businessmen
Among the businessmen who are planning investment trips to Ghana are the President and Chief Executive Officer of Amitria Expert Developers, Dragos Nitescu, Impact Developers & Contractors; President of Euro Construct Trading ‘98, Dan Besciu and Gheorghe Stan of C- Gaz and Energy Distributie, a licensed natural gas and electric power supply company.
In an interview after the meeting, President and Chief Executive Officer of Amitria Expert Developers, Dragos Nitescu, assured that after a fruitful meeting with the Ghanaian team, he and his colleagues are looking to visiting Ghana in the next 45 days to initiate the processes and identify areas of interest to them.
Foreign Affairs Minister
Minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey in a short address described the meeting as historic and fruit. She pledged to ensure that whatever the business leaders need to facilitate a smooth investment in Ghana, her office together with all other state agencies will collaborate to make same available to them. The team journeyed back to our hotel, effectively bringing day one (26/03/2018) to a successful end and time check, it was 23:00 hours local time.
“Back to Back” Day Two
On the schedule for day two, there were five engagements which meant that the team was going to run around the city of Bucharest in order to make it for all the sessions. At exactly 09:00 hours, the convoy left the Hilton Hotel enroute to the first meeting at the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine with the National Council of Rectors in Romania. The National Council of Rectors after the meeting registered their desire to offer scholarships directly to Ghanaian students to study in about 20 out of the 92 universities across their country in various fields of study as a first sign of their commitment to building stronger educational ties with Ghana.
The Cooperation Ambition
Addressing the Ghanaian delegation, the National Council of Rectors led by its President, Professor Sorin Mihai Cimpeanu indicated that as a sign of their commitment to build stronger ties with Ghana in the area of education, a select number of Romanian Universities are ready to offer study opportunities to Ghanaians in the areas of Medicine, Engineering, Information and Communication Technology, Technical and Vocational, Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Agriculture Development, Business Administration amongst others. According to the Council President, out of some 25,000 foreign students currently studying in Romania, only 6 are from Ghana. He was hopeful that with the new level of cooperation that is anticipated, the number should increase drastically.
The Foreign Affairs Minister
Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey in her address indicated that as quickly as possible her office will link the National Council of Tertiary Education and the Scholarship Secretariat in Ghana to the National Council of Rectors in Romania to ensure that the modalities needed to execute the pledge are worked out.
Proposed Visit to Ghana
The National Council of Rectors as part of the corporation agenda requested to visit Ghana and to meet with their colleagues in the management of universities in Ghana. Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey readily granted the request and assured that her Ministry will ensure that their visit is accorded all the necessary logistical support needed to make it successful.
Request for Short Course Training
In an intervention by the representative of the Ghana Export Promotion Authority, a request was made to the President of the Council who doubles as the Rector of University which hosted the meeting, to offer some short course training to the Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Division of the Ministry of Agriculture in Ghana on how to detect and prevent the entry of contaminated foods into Ghana. The request was welcomed by the Rector and an assurance given that an effective plan will be put in place in order to offer the training to a selected number of Ghanaian officials.
The National Council
The National Council of Rectors (CNR) aims to ensure the uniform application of the National Education Law and other normative provisions, as well as assuring university autonomy. The CNR represents accredited universities in Romania, in relation to state authorities, being the only body/institution to promote the interests of universities in relation to them, including the legislative process that affects education and research. CNR members work together to fulfill their responsibilities in the areas of teaching, research, promotion of young researchers and specialists, continuing education, technology transfer, knowledge exchange and international co-operation.
The Council has as its attributes to promote cooperation between higher education institutions; represent the interests of higher education institutions in the process of decision making in the field of education and research; informing member institutions on development policies and priority areas; consulting higher education institutions in order to accomplish the assumed tasks and responsibilities; formulation of statements in the field of higher education; formulation of proposals and recommendations on the development strategy of higher education and on any issues relevant to the functioning of the higher education system; highlighting the common problems of Romanian higher education institutions by collaborating with other bodies provided by the Law on National Education amongst others.
Off to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Romania was the next destination. The Chambers President, Milhai Daraban, and other senior officials of the comparatively more powerful institution in Romania than her counterpart in Ghana were readily available to welcome Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey and her entourage.
After 45 minutes of discussions, the Romanian Chamber pledged to supports effort aimed at advancing Economic cooperation between Ghana and Romania. A draft protocol according to the Romanian Chamber is currently being prepared and at the due time, they will invite officials of the Ghana Chamber for the signing of same.
The Meeting of the Two Diplomats
The Noblesse Restaurant hosted the first in three separate engagements that the two Foreign Affairs Ministers, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey and Teodor Melescanu will have. The first, a working lunch, was a hearty meeting. After the working lunch, the two parted company for a thirty minutes (30) break. At about 15:00 hours, Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey proceeded to the Titulescu Hall at the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs where she held close to an hour of bilateral talks with her colleague Minister.
The Signature Ceremony
After the bilateral meeting, the two Diplomats joined the Ghanaian and Romanian delegations who had gathered together at the Gafencu Hall of the Ministry for the ceremony of the signature of the Memorandum of Understanding between the two Ministries and for that matter the two Countries.
The MOU
The Republics of Ghana and Romania signed an eleven (11) paragraph (MOU) with the intention to sustain bilateral consultations and exchange of information on areas of mutual interest. The MOU has as its aim, the maintenance of the expanding cordial ties between Romania and Ghana for the common benefit of both nations.
What Has Been Agreed Upon
The eleven paragraph MOU agreed upon the following; that the Parties undertake to annually hold political consultations on developing their bilateral relations and exchanging of views on regional and international issues of mutual interest, with the purpose to strengthen the positive role of the United Nations and other international organizations in solving the problems the international community is confronted with.
The consultations which would be held annually at the level of Ministers of Foreign Affairs or their representatives, will alternate between Bucharest and Accra. The Parties also agreed that the consultations will be kept confidential, unless the Parties agree to make public, the outcome of their consultations. Additionally, the Parties agreed that their Permanent Missions at the United Nations and other international organizations will exchange viewpoints and hold consultations on areas of mutual interest in due manner.
Effective Date
The MOU signed indicated that it becomes effective upon signing and will remain effective for an indefinite period unless a notice of termination is received by one of the Parties through diplomatic channels. The MOU does not necessarily create any binding obligations under international law and it is amendable by mutual consent of the Parties at any time.
Signing Officials
Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, signed on her country’s behalf while H. E. Teodor Melescanu, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Romania signed on behalf his homeland. The signing ceremony which took place at the Gafencu Hall at Foreign Affairs Ministry of Romania ended with a press conference addressed by the two Ministers.
The Press Briefing
Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey in her press statement after the signing ceremony indicated that she envisages that the MOU that has been signed for political consultations will pave way for the establishment of a Ghana-Romania Permanent Joint Commission for cooperation.
A Ghana-Romania Permanent Joint Commission for Cooperation she said, “Would provide the framework for enhanced dialogue between Ghanaian and Romanian stakeholders in areas of trade and investment, education, agriculture, tourism and culture as well as sports”.
The Romanian Foreign Affairs Minister
H. E. Teodor Melescanu, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Romania in his statement said his country has taken keen interest in Ghana and that the government of Romania is looking forward to stronger ties with Ghana. He added that the current low level of trade between the two countries will be addressed and a significant increase would be attained in the not so distant future.
Last on the Agenda
After the signing ceremony and press conference, the team got divided into two. Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Ambassador Virginia Hesse, Harriet Sena Siaw Boateng and Jonathan Andah were headed to the Government of Romania Headquarters to hold a private meeting with Her Excellency, Anna Birchall, Deputy Prime Minister for Romania’s Strategic Partnerships’ Implementation while the rest of the team departed to the hotel. Day two’s schedule (27/03/2018) had been executed to perfection.
A Visit to the Mall
After returning to the hotel with the team members, I decided to be adventurous and instead of getting some rest ahead of the early morning flight back to Accra, I chose to go window shopping at the closest mall to the hotel and it was 25 minutes drive away from Hilton. After one hour thirty minutes at the huge mall, “the spirit was willing but the flesh was weak”.
My Taxi Driver’s Invitation to Treat
Upon my exit from the mall, I joined the first available taxi in the queue of taxis right at the entrance of the mall. Five minutes into the return journey to the hotel, the taxi driver makes me an offer and guess what, it was an invitation to a sex treat which would cost me €1500.00. Straightway, I called my beloved wife to tell her how I have missed her. The contract was not completed because there was no acceptance, effectively rendering the contract null and void (Offer and Acceptance Principle in Contract Law).
The Departure
The alarm on my phone went off at exactly 05:00 hours (28/03/2018). By 07:00 hours, I was all set for departure. I bid Room 419 good bye and made my way to the front desk to check out. The team members joined me after about twenty (20) minutes and we were off to the Henri Coandâ Airport. After a smooth check in, Turkish Air flight TK 1044 was airborne at 10:00 hours. The team disembarked at the Ataturk International Airport in Turkey at about 11:20 hours and transited unto flight TK 0629 at about 15:00 hours local time in Istanbul.
The Passenger Scare
About five (5) hours into the six and a half hour flight, a flight attendant announced over the in-flight public address system that if there was a medical doctor on the flight, he or she should identify him/herself as such to the crew. It turned out that a female passenger in her early 40’s had collapsed. Thankfully, there was a medical doctor onboard who shortly helped the passenger to regain consciousness.
Back to Reality
Flight TK 0629 touched down at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) at 19:00 hours GMT and oh yes, from minus five (-5) Degrees Celsius in Bucharest, and ten (10) Degrees Celsius in Istanbul, the team was back to our weather reality of twenty- eight (28) Degrees Celsius as was the situation at the time of arrival at KIA. The mission to Romania had thus come to a successful end.
My Take
If I am to describe this Diplomatic Mission in one word, it will be “impressive”. However, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration and the Ministry of Aviation, I made an observation which I will share in this travelogue. The one-hour flight from Istanbul to Bucharest and from Bucharest to Istanbul which had fewer passengers as compared to the flight from Accra to Istanbul and Istanbul to Accra, had an Airbus 330 aircraft equipment and a Boeing 737 Aircraft respectively. By implication, the Bucharest flight was more spacious and comfortable than the Accra flight. My findings reveal that it is largely due to regulation and specification by aviation authorities in the two countries. It is time to lift our standards and demand a more comfortable Turkish Airline plane on the Accra-Istanbul route. For now, the travelogue will close its pages and await the next destination.
Source: Wilberforce Asare/Presidential Correspondent/EIB Network
