Newly appointed Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Alhaji Mohammed Habib Tijani has pledged to work hard to boost the bilateral relations between both countries.

The Ambassador who has began his official duties since his appointment by President Akufo-Addo has also been marketing the policies of the Government being implemented back in Ghana during his meetings with officials of the Saudi Kingdom.

Alhaji Habib Tijani has presented his open letters, paid Courtesy calls on the leadership of the Diplomatic Corps including the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in Riyadh as well as the Dean of the African Group of Ambassadors, and many others.

As part of his official duties, the Ambassador has met the Saudi Fund for Development and the Minister of State in charge of African Affairs.

On Monday, June 28, 2021, the Ambassador in a brief ceremony, presented the letter appointing him as Ghana's new Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Deputy Foreign Minister for Protocol Affairs of the Saudi Kingdom, Ambassador Khaled Bin Faisal Al-Sehli who received the letter on behalf of the Saudi Foreign Affairs Minister underscored the importance of Saudi Arabia's relations with Ghana; noting that the Kingdom considers Ghana as a very important strategic partner in Africa.

He indicated that the appointment of a former Minister of State to the host country signified the desire and intention of the Government to move the current relations between both countries to a different level.

Alhaji Mohammed Habib Tijani thanked the host for the warm reception and hospitality accorded him since his arrival in the country following his appointment as the new Ambassador.

The Ambassador conveyed fraternal greetings and best wishes from President Akufo-Addo to the custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in Saudi Arabia, His Majesty King Salman and to the Crown Prince, Mohammed Bin Salman.

He further conveyed similar fraternal greetings from Ghana's Foreign Affairs Minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey to her Saudi counterpart in the Saudi Kingdom, H.E Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Bin Al-Saud.

The Ghana Ambassador to Saudi during the engagements spent time explaining home grown policies being implemented by the Akufo-Addo led administration back in Ghana.

He added that “Tracing the relations between the two countries dating back to the 1960s, Ghana was desirous of improving the current relations and the two countries had a lot to benefit from each other through the numerous homegrown policies of the Ghana government which are aimed at improving the standard of living for all Ghanaians”.

Touching on the ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ agenda being pursued by the Akufo-Addo led administration, Alhaji Habib Tijani said the policy never meant that Ghana was against aid from its foreign allies, but was rather against the over-reliance of foreign aid for its socio-economic development, a situation which from all indications was not sustainable.

He indicated that some of the homegrown policy initiatives that have attracted foreign investors include the Planting for Food and Jobs, One (1) District, One (1) Factory policy, One (1) Village, One (1) Dam among others.

He was optimistic the implementation of these key initiatives under the government was benefitting not only the Ghanaians citizenry but also the country’s foreign counterparts in the area of export and trade.

He called on the Saudi officials to invest in Ghana since the country remains the beacon of peace and the fastest growing economy in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Ambassador in his concluding remarks pledged to work collaboratively with the Saudi authorities to ensure that relations between the two countries are elevated to a higher pedestal by the end of his duty tour of the country.