The nations of Ghana and Mexico established diplomatic relations in 1961.[1] Both nations are members of the United Nations.
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History
editIn March 1957, Ghana obtained its independence from the United Kingdom, becoming the first African nation to do so. The independence ceremony was attended by Mexican Ambassador Eduardo Espinosa y Prieto who previously had been in Ghana a year earlier as UN appointed Commissioner for the 1956 British Togoland status plebiscite.[2] While in Ghana, Ambassador Espinosa y Prieto met with President Kwame Nkrumah and discussed the establishing diplomatic relations between both nations.[2]
On 8 August 1961 Mexico became the first country in Latin America to recognize and establish diplomatic relations with Ghana.[1] That same year, Mexican President Adolfo López Mateos sent a presidential delegation of goodwill, led by Special Envoy Alejandro Carrillo Marcor and Delegate José Ezequiel Iturriaga, to visit Ghana.[3]
In 1965 Mexico opened an embassy in Accra, and Ghana followed suit by opening an embassy in Mexico City.[4] In 1972, Mexico closed its embassy in Accra due to budgetary reasons. In 1980, Ghana closed its embassy in Mexico City.[4][1]
In December 2009, Ghanaian Foreign Minister Muhammad Mumuni paid an official visit to Mexico, becoming the highest-ranking Ghanaian official to do so.[5] In May 2011, Mexican Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa met with Ghanaian Foreign Minister Muhammad Mumuni during the Conference on Global Governance and the Reform of the Security Council of the United Nations in Rome. Both officials reviewed the status of the bilateral relationship and discussed multilateral issues such as the reform of the Security Council and follow-up of the Cancun Agreements on climate change.
In 2013, Mexico announced the re-opening of its embassy in Accra, sharing the embassy premises with members of the Pacific Alliance (which includes Chile, Colombia and Peru).[4] In December 2018, Foreign Deputy Minister Charles Owiredu arrived in Mexico City to attend the inauguration for Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.[6]
In August 2019, Mexican Foreign Undersecretary Julián Ventura Valero paid a visit to Ghana and met with Foreign Deputy Minister Charles Owiredu. Both nations agreed to establish a Consultation Mechanism on Common Interests. Ghana also declared its intention to re-open an embassy in Mexico City.[7]
En 2021, both nations celebrated 60 years of diplomatic relations.[1]
High-level visits
editHigh-level visits from Ghana to Mexico[5][4][6]
- Foreign Minister Muhammad Mumuni (2009)
- Minister of Trade Alan John Kyerematen (2017)
- Foreign Deputy Minister Charles Owiredu (2018)
High-level visits from Mexico to Ghana[4][3][7]
- Special Envoy Alejandro Carrillo Marcor (1961)
- Delegate José Ezequiel Iturriaga (1961)
- Director General for ProMéxico Francisco González Díaz (2016)
- Foreign Director General for Africa and the Middle East Jorge Álvarez Fuentes (2018)
- Foreign Undersecretary Julián Ventura Valero (2019)
Bilateral agreements
editBoth nations have signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre and ProMéxico (2016) and a Memorandum for the Establishment of a Consultation Mechanism on Matters of Common Interest (2019).[8][7]
Trade
editIn 2023, trade between Ghana and Mexico totaled US$13.3 million.[9] Ghana's main exports to Mexico include: natural rubber, cocoa powder, clothing articles, wood, vegetables oil, electronic gadgets and devices, powder gemstones and semiprecious stones. Mexico's main exports to Ghana include: malt extract and food preparations, alcohol, chemical based products, telephones and mobile phones, frozen or chilled fish, motor cars and other vehicles, tractors, tubes and pipes.[9]
Diplomatic missions
edit- Ghana is accredited to Mexico from its embassy in Washington, D.C., United States.[10]
- Mexico has an embassy in Accra.[11]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d México-Ghana: 60 años construyendo juntos una historia de éxito (in Spanish)
- ^ a b Historia de las Relaciones Internacionales de México 1821-2010: África y Medio Oriente - pages 103-105 (in Spanish)
- ^ a b José Ezequiel Iturriaga: Rastros y Rostros - page 21 (in Spanish)
- ^ a b c d e Acciones de Política Exterior en África, Medio Oriente y Asia Central: Profundización y Diversificación - pages 43-48 (in Spanish)
- ^ a b La diversificación de la política exterior mexicana en África, Medio Oriente y Asia Central - page 18 (in Spanish)
- ^ a b Comienzan a llegar a México los invitados a toma de Posesión de AMLO (in Spanish)
- ^ a b c Comunicado Conjunto: Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores de México y Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores e Integración Regional de Ghana (in Spanish)
- ^ Ghana busca mejorar cooperación económica-comercial con México - page 25 (in Spanish)
- ^ a b Data México: Ghana
- ^ Embassy of Ghana in Washington, D.C.
- ^ Embassy of Mexico in Accra