Interview: China-Ghana cooperation goes from strength to strength: former Ghanaian ambassador to China

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Demuyakor said tangible results of bilateral cooperation can be seen by both sides in various fields including politics, economy and people-to-people exchanges.

"The relationship between the two countries has always been on the increase," said the retired diplomat.

Demuyakor served as the Ghanaian ambassador to China from 2014 to 2017. His career was closely associated with China, where he had worked for many tenures starting from the 1980s as a diplomat before being appointed as the ambassador.

Demuyakor, who speaks fluent Mandarin, witnessed enormous social and economic developments in China as well as a boom in ties between the two countries.

Data showed that bilateral trade between China and Ghana amounted to 9.57 billion U.S. dollars in 2021.

"Economically, the bilateral trade has ballooned so much, and Ghana has become one of the leading African countries trading with China," he said.

Demuyakor further said that a boom in the number of Chinese working in Ghana is another testimony to flourishing China-Ghana cooperation.

"A few years ago, there were no more than 1,000 Chinese here, but now we can say there are tens of thousands of them all over Ghana," he said.

One of the benefits for Ghanaians is improved infrastructure. Many Chinese companies, both private and state-owned, have been committed to road construction in Ghana, which has improved locals' lives.

Ghana has two Confucius Institutes and is one of the African countries sending the most overseas students to China.

"Because of that, Ghanaians are learning more and more about China," Demuyakor added.

The former ambassador was upbeat about the prospect of bilateral cooperation, notably in the fields of trade and technology.

"Ghanaians are looking forward to getting more opportunities to boost export to China. That's a field that both countries need to look at," he said.

Demuyakor praised China's speedy progress in information and communication technology, with the emergence of many tech giants like Huawei, saying it is also a field with large potential for Ghana.

Being a member of the Ghana-China Friendship Association, Demuyakor said he is delighted to see the association as a useful platform to bring both Chinese and Ghanaians together.

"The two peoples are now beginning to appreciate the aims and objectives of the association and how it can help to promote trade and cultural exchanges between the two sides," he said.

"The two countries have to package all these potentials to be able to move the cooperation further and further forward," he added.