GHANA/RWANDA – The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) and the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) have paid a working visit to the Rwandan High Commissioner to Ghana, H.E. Dr. Aisa Kimbo Kacyira to rubberstamp the trade partnership between the two countries.
The purpose of the visit was to congratulate Dr. Kacyira on her selection by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres to lead the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS).
Dr. Kacyira will succeed Lisa Filipetto of Australia.
Prof. Alex Dodoo, the Director-General of the GSA, and Delese Mimi Darko, Chief Executive Officer of Ghana FDA have expressed their organization’s excitement on the High Commissioner’s appointment as the head of the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) and pledged their support in maintaining the relationship they have with her.
“During your time in Ghana, not only have you brought the GSA and FDA much closer, but you have also forged a similar relationship between the Rwanda FDA and Rwanda Standards Board (RSB), which will go a long way to enhance the long-existing relationship between the two countries,” Prof. Dodoo said.
He said that he would make sure that the initiatives between the two nations that had started because of Dr. Kacyira’s dedication would continue when she was gone.
“If African countries can get their regulators and standards institutions working together, trade between the whole continent will grow and we will become independent and our countries will thrive,” said Prof. Dodoo, who is also the President of the African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO).
Delese Darko, for her part, thanked Dr. Kacyira and said that working closely with the High Commissioner had been extremely illuminating.
According to her, the partnership’s efforts will serve as the impetus for several future trade and development partnerships between the two nations.
In addition to expressing her happiness at working in Ghana, H.E. Dr. Kacyira emphasized that the harmonization between the GSA and FDA will encourage trade within the continent.
“I felt a real sense of belonging when I got to Ghana. The Pan-Africanism which is at play here is real, and that has enabled us to establish ourselves to showcase to the world that Ghana and Rwanda don’t have a choice but to lead Africa.
“The strides your institutions are making to work together will not only boost trade but will act as a framework for other African countries to follow,” she said.
According to the United Nations, Ms. Kacyira has more than 30 years of experience in a multifaceted career that includes leadership in development and humanitarian aid at the local, national, and international levels, as well as community and political engagement.
Dr. Kacyira has served as the resident High Commissioner to the Government of Ghana and a non-resident representative to Benin, Togo, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, and Liberia since 2020.
In October 2021, the Rwanda High Commissioner paid a visit to the GSA to discuss various trade-related topics, including how the two organizations could implement AfCFTA’s policy objectives.
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