PRESIDENT John Dramani Mahama on Friday arrived in Belarus for a four-day state visit at the invitation of his Belarusian counterpart, Aleksandr Grigorievich Lukashenko.
The visit aims to strengthen diplomatic and business ties between Ghana and Belarus as well as explore new frontiers in economic, agricultural, and technical cooperation.
Upon arrival in Minsk, President Mahama laid a wreath at the Victory Monument to honour Soviet Army soldiers and Belarusian partisans who showed immense bravery during World War II.
On day two, President Mahama toured one of the country’s largest agro-processing facilities in Brest.
The factory’s high-tech dairy production lines produce baby food, milk, cheese, and milk powder for global markets.
A primary goal of the visit, he said was to identify technical solutions to reduce post-harvest losses, which is a major challenge for Ghanaian farmers.
President Mahama extended a hand of invitation to Belarusian investors to partner with Ghanaian business associations.
The partnership, President Mahama said would be mutually beneficial for both countries as Ghana pursues self-sufficiency in food production.
Ghana, President Mahama said was committed to adopting modern processing techniques to transition from smallholder farming to large-scale commercial agriculture.
“We are here to tap into Belarus’ vast experience as we work to make Ghana self-dependent in food production,” he said.
The Managing Director of the facility, Aleksandr Savchits, revealed that the company recorded over US$1.4 billion in profit last year and had recently begun exporting dairy products to Ghana.
He said there were plans to expand that trade as bilateral ties between the two countries grew stronger.
Belarus ranks among the world’s leading exporters of dairy products including milk powder, butter, and cheese, and President Mahama said the country’s agro-industrial experience was directly relevant to Ghana’s goal of achieving food self-sufficiency.
The President was accompanied on the tour by his Advisor and Special Aide, Joyce Bawah Mogtari and Ghana’s Ambassador to Moscow, Dr Jehu-Appiah.
