Presidents John Dramani Mahama and Emmerson Mnangagwa have concluded a three-day state visit to Ghana by signing 11 agreements spanning energy, health, trade, environment and cultural cooperation, setting up a formal institutional framework to deliver on decades of largely symbolic ties between the two countries.
Ten of the Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed between the two governments at the Peduase Lodge in the Eastern Region, covering political and diplomatic consultations, research and training in foreign service institutions, sports and recreation, health, energy, tourism, trade and investment, archives, and waste management. An eleventh agreement was concluded between two private entities, Zoomlion Ghana Limited and Geo Pomona Waste Management (Pvt) Ltd.
The two countries also adopted the agreed minutes of the inaugural session of the Ghana-Zimbabwe Permanent Joint Commission for Cooperation (PJCC), a newly established mechanism designed to institutionalise bilateral engagement rather than leave cooperation to periodic summitry alone.
President Mahama, in his closing remarks, said the visit had provided “a clear roadmap, renewed political will and fresh momentum” to deepen relations, and confirmed that the PJCC would meet every two years on a rotational basis, with annual mid-term reviews and regular consultations between senior officials to track implementation of the commitments made.
A notable element of the visit was the emphasis on environmental cooperation. President Mnangagwa toured the Accra Compost and Recycling Plant, receiving briefings on Ghana’s waste management systems, an area captured in the Zoomlion-Geo Pomona private sector agreement. President Mahama also stressed the need for the two countries to work together to promote responsible and sustainable mining practices, saying collaboration in the sector would help ensure natural resources benefit citizens while protecting the environment.
President Mnangagwa called for a decisive shift from dialogue to implementation, urging ministers and officials to ensure the swift operationalisation of all agreements and emphasising that their true value lies in tangible impact on the lives of citizens. He also acknowledged the role of institutions such as the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) and ZimTrade in advancing business-to-business engagement.
President Mnangagwa also expressed appreciation for Ghana’s continued advocacy for the unconditional removal of illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe, and both leaders expressed concern over current global geopolitical developments and rising tensions in various regions.
The visit carried deep historical resonance. Zimbabwe’s founding leader Robert Mugabe lived and taught in Ghana between 1958 and 1960, where he met his first wife, Sally Hayfron, a Ghanaian, a connection that has long symbolised the Pan-African vision shared by both nations. Mnangagwa also visited the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park to lay a wreath at the tomb of Ghana’s founding president during the trip.
The state visit was Mnangagwa’s second to Ghana in three years, following his participation in the 30th Annual Meetings of the African Export-Import Bank held in Accra in 2023.
