Your Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor, President of the Republic of Ghana

Your Honorable Dr. Benjamin Aggrey Ntim, Minister for Communications,

Your Honorable Mrs. Oboshie Sai-Cofie, Minister for Information and National Orientation,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today, it is a great pleasure for me to attend the sod-cutting ceremony of the National Communication Backbone Network Project. I feel especially honored and privileged that Your Excellency Mr. President has come to grace the occasion in spite of your busy schedule, which is a full embodiment of the importance Your Excellency attaches to the friendly relations and cooperation between China and Ghana. Now, please allow me to take this opportunity to extend my heart-felt congratulations to the sod-cutting ceremony of the Project.

I am full of confidence that when the first phase of the Project is completed, it will add a new page to the friendship between us. The Project will link all ten regional capitals and some 36 towns in Ghana with the fiber routes. This will ensure that Ghanaians in the out reach regions could benefit from the good quality Internet service and be involved in the global village. The development of the information highway, such as the National Communication Backbone Network, will pave the way for the further economic and social developments in the country.

During the Beijing Summit of the Forum of China-Africa Cooperation, China and Ghana agreed to strength cooperation in all fields, including the field of information and communication technology (ICT). The Chinese Government will continue to encourage and support the Chinese enterprises to participate in Ghana's information infrastructure development to narrow the digital gap and build an information society.

To realize the goals set at the Beijing Summit and forge a new type of China-Ghana strategic partnership, the Chinese side is working closely with the Ghanaian side to carry out the follow-up work of the Summit. Currently, many projects are going on smoothly, including the Office Block of the Ministry of Defence, the Youth Cultural Center in Kumasi and so on. China will soon send senior agricultural experts, a medical team and youth volunteers to Ghana. They are going to render various services to the country. The construction of a hospital in Accra and three rural schools donated by China are also on the agenda. In the field of human resources development, more than 300 Ghanaian professionals and officials enjoy the opportunities to go to China to attending training programs or seminars this year. And the number of Chinese Scholarships to Ghanaians doubled from 20 to 40. All these numbers will continue to increase in the next two years.

Last but not least, I would like to thank the Ministry of Communications of Ghana, Huawei Technologies Ghana Limited, and all the departments and people whose hard work has made today's sod-cutting ceremony possible. I believe, with the joint efforts of our two countries, the friendly relations and cooperation will be strengthened and lifted to a higher level.

Thank you!