The State of Israel has appointed Shani Cooper as the new Ambassador to Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Ambassador Cooper replaces Ami Mehl who ended his term of service in July 2018.

Ambassador Cooper comes to Ghana with 12 years of diplomatic experience haven served in Egypt, Cyprus, Turkey and Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Married with has two daughters, representing Israel in Ghana will be her fourth diplomatic posting.

In a video released by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs to announce her appointment, Cooper said, “she was born in an agricultural village in Israel, where farming was not easy.

"However, the Israeli spirit proved that ‘where there is a will, there is a way’ and hard work and agricultural innovation made it possible to grow fruits and vegetables on a difficult land.” 

The appointment of Cooper is part of the framework to invest and strengthen relations between Israel and Africa, during which a new commercial office has been opened within the Israeli Embassy in Accra.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has visited Africa three times and was the first non-member state leader to speak at the ECOWAS Summit in Liberia.

Israel has a long-term diplomatic and bilateral partnership with Ghana - Ghana was the first African country to establish diplomatic relations with the State of Israel, the second state in Africa to have an Israeli embassy and the first African state to have a state visit by Israel’s former Foreign Minister Golda Meir in 1958.

In 2011, the State of Israel reopened its Embassy in Accra, which has since strengthened the relations between Israel and Ghana.

Being the only female ambassador among the ambassadors representing Israel in Africa, Cooper said she is proud to represent the land of innovation in Ghana.

She spoke of her commitment to promote and share knowledge in fields such as medicine, water, agriculture, and high-tech.

Her arrival in Ghana will help to establish an even stronger bilateral cooperation between Israel and Ghana that will ensure mutual benefits for both states.