He was speaking at the National Day of Czech Republic and the historic visit of the Prime Minister of Czech Republic, Mr Petr Fiala, in Accra on November 8.

Mr Dery said the relation­ship between Ghana and Czech Republic dated back to 1957 when Ghana became independent and that it was based on mutual respect and shared prosperity.

He said the bilateral and eco­nomic relations between both countries became more enhanced when in September 1960, during a meeting between Ghana’s first President Dr Kwame Nkrumah and former President of Czecho­slovakia, Antonin Novotny, at the margins of the UN General Assembly, the two Presidents signed an agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation between Czechoslovakia and Ghana.
    

Mr Dery said the two coun­tries had enjoyed a long-standing tradition of cooperation at the in­ternational fora, including support for each other’s candidature for positions at various multilateral institutions.

He recounted that Ghana was one of the first countries that recognised the Czech Republic as a nation and supported its quest for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council in 1994.

Mr Dery said although Ghana had been designated as the fourth largest trading partner of the Czech Republic among countries of the south of the Sahara, the balance of trade between the two countries had been in favour of the Czech Republic.

Mr Dery who is the Member of Parliament for Nandom Constitu­ency said some areas of coopera­tion in the form of establishment of joint ventures include energy projects, sewage treatment, water purification, urban planning and construction.

He urged Czech businesses to take advantage of the immense business opportunities offered by the establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area (Af­CFTA), which has its headquarters in Accra, and had made Ghana a more attractive destination for Foreign Direct Investment.

For his part, Mr Fiala under­scored the need to concentrate on practical projects and cooperation.

He said the Government of the Czech Republic wants to pay more attention to Ghana and Africa.

The Prime Minister said in addition to looking for strong, long-term partnership of equals, “we have big understanding and sympathies for Africa. We believe in its bright future. And we want to be part of it.”

He said the Czech Republic had a lot to offer and share in technol­ogies and know-how, in economic and development cooperation, or in defense and security.

“I am pleased that we have a strong business delegation here. It covers many areas from energy and mining to healthcare, agriculture, defense or transport infrastructure.”