Outgoing Ghanian ambassador lauds Qatar’s government, people for support to boost ties
GHANAIAN Ambassador to Qatar HE Dr Emmanuel Enos has praised the government and people of Qatar for the support accorded to him since he came to Qatar over four years ago.
The outgoing envoy also applauded government officials and members of the community as a whole for the warm hospitality they gave him during his tenure. Speaking to
Qatar Tribune, the ambassador said, “My almost four and a half years’ experience in Qatar has been simply humbling, scintillating and phenomenal. With absolute support, hospitality and great kindness of the Amir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the government and people of Qatar, my work as an ambassador in this country is greatly enhanced.”
He added, “Let me seize this opportunity to extend my sincere gratitude to HH the Amir for the opportunity to represent my country in Doha and for the support I received throughout my stay in this beautiful country. Above all, I owe HH the Amir a debt of gratitude for the prestigious award of Al Wajba which he graciously bestowed on me at the end of my duty tour in Qatar.
“I will be leaving soon with fond memories of this great country. Operationally, the foreign ministry, led by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and his able deputies as well as Director of Protocol Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs HE Ambassador Ibrahim Fakhroo, has been distinctive in enhancing my work as the first ambassador of Ghana to Qatar.”
Ambassador Enos thanked other diplomats and the community for making his work smooth. “The invaluable network of colleague ambassadors, friends - both Qatari and residents - is priceless in deepening the extant bonds of friendship between Ghana and Qatar and with other countries represented in Doha,” he said.
Talking about some of the greatest achievements recorded during his tenure, Ambassador Enos said, “First of all, let me state that the achievements of the Ghana Embassy in Doha for the past four and a half years have been a team work involving all my staff, for which I sincerely applaud them. As the first Ghanaian Ambassador in Qatar, there was no blueprint document for reference at the embassy and we had to start from scratch. With the support of the Qatari authorities, the embassy was fully set up and inaugurated in May 2018.”
According to him, the in November same year, the president of Ghana Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo paid a state visit to Qatar to strengthen the existing cordial relations between Ghana and Qatar.
“HH the Amir of Qatar had visited six countries in West Africa, including Ghana, the previous year. As soon as the Ghana Embassy was established in Doha, HH the Amir also opened the Qatar Embassy in Accra,” the envoy said.
Ambassador Enos said that Qatar and Ghana have signed 10 bilateral agreements, including visa exemption for diplomatic passport holders of the two countries, investment protection and promotion agreement and avoidance of double taxation, among others.
“These are geared towards leveraging the existing cooperation between the two countries in areas of investment and trade,” he opined.
The envoy added that as a demonstration of the existing strong bonds of friendship between the two countries and the quest to improve the existing low level of trade and investment, Qatar Airways, with the active support of Ghana government, started flying directly to Ghana from Doha, seven days a week amid the height of COVID-19 pandemic in September 2020.
According to him, the Embassy of Ghana organised an art exhibition in November 2021 at Katara. “With the support of the Cultural Village Foundation (Katara), we hosted a two-week exclusive expo titled ‘Harmonised Diversity in Art and Culture’ featuring renowned Ghanaian artist William Kwaku Adzraku to deepen the understanding of the two friendly peoples in each other’s culture,” he said.
Ambassador Enos added that on the multi-lateral front, Ghana and Qatar have continued, in a more sustainable manner, to support each other’s candidature and position.
My almost four and a half years’ experience in Qatar has been simply humbling, scintillating and phenomenal. With absolute support, hospitality and great kindness of the Amir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the government and people of Qatar, my work as an ambassador in this country is greatly enhanced