加纳特命全权大使 Winfred Nii Okai Hammond 博士

加纳特命全权大使 Winfred Nii Okai Hammond 博士敦促加纳企业利用中国商业和工业繁荣的巨大潜力，努力确保从中国广州到加纳阿克拉的直飞航班。

据 Hammond 博士介绍，加纳与中国的贸易额在过去三、四年里从70亿美元增长到100亿美元。然而，两国之间的旅行仍然是一大挑战，因为在某种程度上，加纳曾经只能依靠一家航空公司前往中国。

“这是土耳其，即使是土耳其也面临着各种挑战。目前，大多数人乘坐埃塞俄比亚航空公司的航班，该公司每天大约有两班飞机。你可能会发现，这些航班中超过50%的人最终目的地都是中国。阿联酋航空也有每日航班，你会发现很多航班的终点都在中国不同城市。所以我常常问自己，为什么不能在中国和加纳之间开通直航?”

Hammond 博士说，加纳驻中国大使馆意识到，连接阿克拉和中国最具战略意义的地点是广州，因为加纳总领事馆位于广州，那里还居留着大量加纳人和数十万西非人，他们在广州生活并从事以贸易为主的商贸活动，促进着中非关系的迈进。

Hammond 博士说，首都阿克拉甚至整个加纳有很多东西可以提供给中国，随非洲大陆自由贸易（AfCFTA）秘书处在加纳的成立，阿克拉已从西非商业中心扩展至撒哈拉以南的整个非洲地区。

“今天，我们正在与非洲大陆自由贸易区（AfCFTA）讨论加纳秘书处相关事宜。中国非常有兴趣参与发展这一领域，因为一个强大的大陆自由贸易区也将促进加纳和中非关系。因此，非常重要的一点是，如果我们在中国和加纳之间建立直航，那么它将是一家服务于西非的航空公司，甚至可能通过直飞航班一直延伸到喀麦隆。

“我们知道，在商业中，时间就是金钱。目前中加旅行经历的过境时间在 20 到 24 小时之间，如果能够为您带来 15、6 小时的直飞  ~~ 时间成本节省了 6 到 8 小时，这非常令人振奋。”

Hammond 博士说，正是出于这个原因，加纳大使馆在加纳财政部和交通部，以及加纳全体政府的支持下推进了这一议程，以确保在不久的将来有中加直飞航班。

“所以，我认为拥有这个直飞航班对我们来说非常重要，祈愿神助我们找到合适的航空公司，目前我们与中国南方航空有了接触，他们也对此表达兴趣。与所有相关机构的讨论进展非常顺利，归根结底，我们可以在商业等方面与中国建立符合加纳利益的关联，加纳企业必须将此视为重要的一步。

“在当今数字化世界里，在中国的引领下，我认为，凭借我们的愿景~~现任加纳副总统领导推动这一重大改善加纳 -- 中国公司议程的努力，我坚信加纳与中国的未来将有很大联系。”

Hammond 博士说，加纳的政策是增加其原材料的价值，并在一个从事自由贸易的大陆上保持竞争力，与中国这样的国家合作怎么强调都不为过。

“我们在中国推出的产品必须具有竞争力，然后在农业机械和卫生部门方面采用中国技术。正如我们今天谈论的数字化，这是中心，而中国是加纳需要强化的所有领域领先国家之一。” Hammond 博士说，中国在支持加纳从国际货币基金组织获得贷款方面也发挥了重要作用。

“我很高兴地说，中国在这两种情况下都支持加纳从国际货币基金组织获得贷款，如果没有中国，我们不可能获得贷款，因为加纳代表团也在努力创造必要的环境。

“因此，我希望加纳企业能够认识到加纳政府为加强加中之间至关重要的利益和合作所做的所有这些努力，并利用中国的商业环境来开展合法业务并发展他们的企业。

迦纳术略（SIL China）驻中国国家代表曹语纭女士与加纳特命全权大使 Winfred Nii Okai Hammond 博士

Ghana-China Relationship Boosted Amid plans for a Direct Flight from Guangzhou to Accra

Ghana’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Dr. Winfred Nii Okai Hammond, has urged Ghanaian businesses to take advantage of the immense potential of the Chinese commercial and industry boom in the midst of efforts to secure a direct flight from Guangzhou in China to Accra, Ghana.

According to Dr.  Hammond, the trade volumes between Ghana and China has moved from US$7billion to US$10billion in the last three to four years. However, travel between the two countries have remained a challenge as at some point, Ghana could only count on one airline to China.

“It was Turkey, and even that came with all of its challenges. Currently, most people use Ethiopia Airlines, which has about two flights a day. You may find out that more than 50 percent of those on such flights end up in China. Emirates also has daily flights, and you will find out many of them end up in different towns in China. So the question I ask myself is, why can’t we have a direct flight between China and Ghana?”

He said the Ghana Embassy realised that the most strategic place to have an airline connecting Accra will be Guangzhou in China because it doesn’t only host Ghana’s Consulate General, but also hosts most Ghanaians and hundreds of thousands of West Africans in general, who ply their trade from that city.

He said Accra and, for that matter, Ghana have a lot to offer because Accra has become a commercial hub with the oncoming of the African Continental Free Trade (AfCFTA) Secretariat located in Ghana.

“Today we are talking about the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)with the Secretariat in Ghana. China has a great interest to help develop this because a strong continental free trade area will also boost Ghana and China-African relations; and so it is very important that if we have link up and have a direct flight between China and Ghana, it’s going to be an airline that is serving West Africa, maybe even go further all the way to Cameroon with a direct flight.

“And we know in business time is money. Instead of going through transit times, sometimes ranging between 20 – 24 hours, you are going to look at a direct flight that brings you 15, 16 hours – saving of 6 to 8 hours is a whole lot; it’s very significant.”

The ambassador said it is for this reason that the Ghana Embassy has advanced discussions with support from the Finance and Transport Ministries of Ghana and the entire Government of Ghana to ensure that there is a direct flight between China and Ghana in the immediate future.

“So, I think it is very important for us to have this direct flight, and we are praying that God will help us to get the right airline, as we have the likes of China Southern in mind, who has also indicated interest and looking at the feasibility.

“Discussions are far advanced with all relevant agencies and at the end of the day, it is in the interest of Ghana that we can link up in China in terms of commerce, etc., and our businesses must consider this a significant step.

“In a world of digitalisation today and with China leading the way, I think with the vision that we have – the current Vice President of Ghana leading the efforts of pushing this agenda of significantly improving the Ghana-China Corporation, I believe strongly that Ghana has a lot to do with China going into the future.”

He said it is Ghana’s policy to add value to its raw materials and be competitive on a continent that is engaging in free trading; and he continues that collaboration with a country like China cannot be over-emphasised.

“The products that we take out there must be competitive and we can then leverage on the technology over there in terms of agricultural machinery and the health sector. As we are talking today about digitalization, that is centre; and China is one of the leading ones in all of these areas that Ghana needs to strengthen these ties.”

He said China also played a significant role in supporting Ghana to secure its loan from the IMF in both the first and second instances.

“I’m happy to say that China supported Ghana to get the loan from the IMF in both instances because without China, it may not have been possible to get the loan as the Ghana mission worked hard in creating the necessary environment for this to happen as well.

“Therefore, it is my hope that Ghanaian businesses will recognise all these efforts being made by Ghana’s Government to strengthen this all-important interest and cooperation between Ghana and China and take advantage of the Chinese business climate to do legitimate businesses and grow their enterprises.”

来源：B & FT Online

编译：草语云意

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