Ghana

Russia-Africa ministerial conference opens in Sochi

The first-ever ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership forum, chaired by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, opened in the city of Sochi on Saturday. The two-day event is taking place at Sirius University, with the participation of foreign ministers from Russia and African states, as well as the leadership of the African Union Commission and major continental integration associations, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The business program on the sidelines of the conference features roundtable discussions and panel sessions on key items on the Russian-African agenda, including security, trade and investment, industrialization, technology transfers, agriculture, the development of the mining sector, education, healthcare and epidemiological safety. The ministry said Lavrov held six bilateral meetings with his counterparts from the Central African Republic, Cameroon, Libya, Mali, Rwanda, Sudan, Uganda earlier in the day. Speaking at a meeting with Libyan Foreign Minister Taher al-Baour, Lavrov said the situation in the Middle East is changing fast. “We want to contribute as much as possible to its pacification in the Palestinian territories, in Lebanon, and in Libya,” he added. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, for his part, held talks with his counterparts from Ghana, Sierra Leone and Somalia.

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U.S. to restrict visas in Ghana ahead of elections

The U.S. State Department announced on Monday that it will restrict visas for individuals deemed responsible for undermining democracy in Ghana. This decision comes ahead of the presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for December 7. Ghana has enjoyed nearly two decades of peaceful, free, and fair elections. However, recent allegations of voter roll irregularities have raised concerns about a potential democratic decline. This upcoming election will mark the ninth consecutive general election since Ghana returned to multi-party democracy in 1992. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized that the visa restrictions will target those “who undermine democracy,” not the Ghanaian government or its citizens. Last month, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Ghana’s largest opposition party, staged nationwide protests demanding an audit of the voter roll, claiming to have uncovered thousands of unauthorized transfers and removals of voter names. Incumbent President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is stepping down after his second and final term. Thirteen candidates have been approved for the presidential race, but analysts predict a two-man competition between former President John Dramani Mahama and Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia.

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