Morocco Embassador Applauds GHAMOSA For Promoting Ghana Morocco Relations

The Moroccan Ambassador to Ghana, His excellency,  Imane  Ouadil  has commended the President, Executives  and members of the Ghana Morocco Old students Association(GHAMOSA ) for  using they’re knowledge and expertise to promote and strengthen  the relationship between Ghana and Morocco.

Speaking at the 10th anniversary  celebration of  the Association in Accra on 11th November 2022,  she  said the old students are one of the  important  investments of the Moroccan government in Ghana  and an investment in the future  for  the two countries  and for  the African continent .

She noted that  the 10th anniversary  of  the Ghana Morocco old students  Association celebration which falls on November coincides  with the celebration of two important dates for “ us Moroccans  with a few days ago  the 6th of  November  that celebrates  the Green March and pays tribute  to the many who  devoted  they’re lives to liberate  our Sahara. I am happy to celebrate all the three events with you all tonight”.

She commended President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, and the King of Morocco, King Mohammed the VI for worker together to strengthen the relationship between the two countries. She also commended Ambassador Kwabena Anan former Ghana Ambassador to Morocco and Ambassador Tourougui, Former Morocco Ambassador to Ghana to they’re unflinching service to strengthening the relationship between the two countries.

According to her, they’re has been an increase in student mobility from African countries as a result of the good cooperation agreements. “currently,  Morocco hosts  more than 18,000  students from 47 African countries , enrolled in different Moroccan higher education public institutions  such as  the faculties of Medicine  and pharmacy, Dentistry , science  and technology , engineering sciences , commerce  and management  technology and translation.” She stated.

Ambassador Imane Ouadil noted that the influx of foreign students has been in the order of 4, 000 new students each year where Africans represent 63% of all entrants with the assumption of 95% as scholarship holders of the Moroccan government.

“I they’refore want to commend the tremendous work done by the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation. you all know AMCI and  its Director  General, Ambassador  Mohammed Methqal , who is working  to broaden  the fields of cooperation  between Morocco  and its sister African  countries   towards increasing the number of beneficiaries of international  cooperation programmes  in number and type . Thanks to these efforts we have managed since 2019 to educate an additional 20 scholarships for Ghanaian students for vocational training”, she noted.

“To underscore Morocco’s commitment  to Africa  and its youth ,I quote  King Mohamed  VI ‘S  speech from 29th  African Union  Summit  in 2017 when  Morocco re-joined its institutional African Family . His Majesty said “the future of Africa depends on its youth; Africa’s young population underlines the urgency of orienting the demographic dividend towards the emergence of the continent. Africa, they’refore has an unexpected opportunity to benefit from a young, educated and abundant workforce to fuel its economic growth”.

@Indeed Africa cannot be seen as a mere pool of opportunities. Africa needs to create and seize its own opportunities and generate its own wealth.  I commend you, beneficiaries of Morocco government’s scholarship for stepping out of you’re comfort zone and moving to a new different country for years. While I hope the majority of you’re experience was enriching and exciting. I imagine they’re were also challenging days that made you nostalgic for home, for the nice Ghanaian dishes, yet you persevered. And when you returned to Ghana, you applied you’re experience in you’re respective fields to give back to you’re communities to make a difference” she said.

“I want to announce that we are currently processing the admission files of 97 Ghanaian candidates  .that I hope  will in a few years come back  to contribute  to the development of Ghana  and to swell you’re ranks “, she added.

The event bought  together high level dignitaries   like Honourable Stephen Yakubu, Upper West Regional Minister, Nii Kotey Amon II, Asere Dzaasetse of the Ga State, Hon Aliu Mahama, Member of Parliament for Yendi , representative of the Minister of Foreign Affairs’ and Ambassador Kwabena Anan  among others, Guineas Ambassador to Ghana

In his presentation, President of the Ghana Morocco Old Students Association, Peter Panyin Anamang described The Ghana Morocco Old Students Association as a global coalition of young Ghanaian professionals trained in the Kingdom of Morocco and now integrated in various sectors of the Ghanaian economy and around the world.

He said over the last decade, the Association has undertaken a number of impactful activities which include Educational Conferences, Business Exhibition and Networking forums, Sports and Networking Festivals and many others. These activities he said were to further strengthen the already existing bond between Ghana and Morocco.

He commended the king of Morocco, His Majesty King Mohammed VI and Former President John Agyekum Kufuor, who revived the Ghana – Morocco relations and paved way for Ghanaians to further they’re education in Morocco.

I would like to use this opportunity to thank His Excellency Ambassador Kobina Annan, Former Ghana Ambassador to Morocco and Mrs. Ekua Annan. They have shown great commitment and provided guidance, encouragement and support through every stage of the formation of this Association.  On this special day we say thank you!

The Association’s 10 Year Anniversary was launched under the theme ‘’BUILDING TOGETHER THE AFRICA WE WANT, OUR SACRED LEGACY’’. Our Mission was to explore pathways for engaging the African youth to contribute to building the New Africa but also getting them prepared to address the pressing challenges confronting the continent and its leaders.  How can we get the African youth to unite and mobilize around charting a better and prosperous future? This has been our principal goal. So far, I am excited to say that we have received recommendations that will help provide a clear roadmap for beginning to build the Africa We Want.

“The Africa we want” must not remain only as a slogan. Our forefathers and forebears struggled to lay the foundation for building the beautiful Africa we want. While they may have failed in they’re quest, we do have the opportunity to learn from they’re pitfalls. His Majesty King Mohammed VI said and I quote “Everyone must realize that the future is built now and that the next day will be the fruit of what we achieve today’’ unquote.

The bitter truth is that each generation is either beneficiary or victim of the actions and inactions of the older generations. As youth of the continent, we must end the blame games and help build the Africa we want for future generations. We must rise up to restore the dignity of mother Africa, for the sake of future generations!

We must not give up on the African dream: the Pan-African dream of building a United Africa, a New Africa, an Africa with dignity and pride! We must not give up on the dream of the African Child, the dream of inheriting a better Africa. A better Africa is the only noble legacy we can leave behind for our Children and the unborn generations.

As beneficiaries of government scholarships, society expects us to be disciplined and discerning individuals, capable of objective rather than partisan and emotional analysis of national issues. In line with achieving this, we should respect and promote the norms of our societies and even where we disagree with such norms, we should seek change by legitimate and established methods. Otherwise, we put ourselves in danger of becoming anti-social. While I encourage us all to take advantage of the opportunities that our current technological world presents, I urge everyone to do so responsibly. Every act of indiscipline, whether on social media, inappropriate behavior in our place of work or in our communities, is a betrayal of the society which has invested so much in our education. Let it never be said of any of us, that after receiving the kind of education Ghana and Morocco gave us, we became a disappointment to our societies and Africa. I urge us all to aspire to make a significant contribution to our society.

He also commended the National Executives of GHAMOSA and the Anniversary Committee for the excellent organization that led to a successful event.

He said they’re participation and presence demonstrated they’re shared commitment to an African continent that is looking to the future and shaping its own destiny.

By Adu Koranteng