The Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Ghana, Ronald Gerard Strikker, has paid a farewell visit to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey.
The visit took place in Accra on Wednesday, 21st July, 2021 following the end of his five-year tour of duty in Ghana.
Ambassador Ronald Gerard Strikker, a career diplomat with a background in law, was appointed Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Ghana in 2016.
Prior to that, he served as Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
He has also served in various capacities as a Dutch envoy in Nairobi, Tunis, Santiago de Chile, Bangkok and Paris.
During the meeting, the minister acknowledged that Ghana and the Netherlands have had long-standing and fruitful bilateral relations which date back to the 1970s.
She reaffirmed Ghana’s determination and her personal desire to continue forging strong partnerships of cooperation, “and to consolidate as well as deepen relations between the two countries for the mutual benefit of our two peoples”.
She expressed appreciation to the Dutch government for its firm support to Ghana’s health sector over the years, including the provision of funding for constructing five (5) medical clinics in the Western Region.
Also mentioned was the installation of 52 X-ray systems across Ghana, equipped with Computer Aided Detection for TB (CAD4TB) and tele-radiology by Dutch firms Oldelft Benelux and Universal Hospitals Group; as well as the construction of a water treatment plant in Navrongo.
She observed that the Netherlands was the lead market destination for Ghana’s non-traditional exports in 2016, and underscored the need to bolster trade relations between the two countries by leveraging on Ghana hosting the Secretariat of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area.
