Ghanaian Ambassador to China Helen Mamle Kofi (COURTESY OF GHANAIAN EMBASSY TO CHINA)

Taking a scan of the African continent, only a handful of countries have realized peaceful transitions of heads of state in the past decade. Ghana, in West Africa, is one of them. During U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to the country, he praised the people of Ghana, saying they had worked hard to put democracy on a firmer footing, with peaceful transfers of power even in the wake of closely contested elections.

Thanks to the stable political environment, Ghana also has achieved rapid economic development. Statistics from the World Bank show that the country's annual GDP growth is steady at around 4 percent in recent years.

The year 2010 is an important year for China and Ghana as the two countries are celebrating the jubilee of the establishment of diplomatic relations, which falls on July 5. Before the important occasion, Ghanaian Ambassador to China, Mrs. Helen Mamle Kofi shared her views on bilateral relations and other affairs with ChinAfrica reporter Ni Yanshuo.

ChinAfrica: How do you see our bilateral relations in the past 50 years? What is your expectation of future developments?

Helen Mamle Kofi: China and Ghana's relations have improved over the past 50 years to include more technologically advanced projects which are mutually beneficial to the two parties. In the future, I hope that China will continue as a development partner of Ghana in working on projects that will improve the livelihood of the average Ghanaian, such as the building of schools, hospitals and improvement of the infrastructure of our country to make it competitive in the 21st century. 

Ghana is famous for cocoa production. Is there any cooperation between China and Ghana in this field?

Yes, Ghana and China have a cooperation agreement with a Chinese company, Genertec Co., which purchases cocoa from Ghana.

China vows to strengthen cooperation in clean energy with African countries. How do you see the cooperation in this field between China and Ghana?

Clean energy and renewable energy are very much on the agenda of the current administration in Ghana and we welcome a partnership with China to work on clean energy projects that make the world a more environmentally friendly place to live.

What is your expectation of the climate change conference that will be held in Cancun later this year?

I hope that the climate change conference will bring about awareness of the global warming issues facing the world today. African countries who participate in the conference must take the recommendations to their respective countries and implement legislative changes to thwart practices that harm the environment. 

What is your view on gender equality in China? What steps have been taken to promote gender equality in Ghana?

I think there is great gender equality in China. As an ambassador, I have met many high-profile Chinese women in important positions who command tremendous respect. One such example is the All-China Women's Federation. As with all countries, gender equality is an ongoing quest, which should be encouraged in early education for women.

Ghana has signed and ratified the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. The promotion of gender equality is a very important aspect of the present administration in Ghana, led by H.E. President John Evans Atta-Mills. There is currently a female Speaker of the House of Parliament, and the Chief Justice, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice are all female, and there are other women serving in key ministerial positions. My appointment as an ambassador to a very important country such as China is a testament to the gender equality in Ghana.  

Ghana's football team is relatively strong in Africa, and has also qualified for the World Cup finals. How do you think your team will do? And what is your expectation of the African football teams in the World Cup?  

I am very excited about the World Cup and hope that the Ghana team will do very well in South Africa. The entire nation of Ghana is behind them 110 percent.

I am also pleased that for the first time the World Cup will be played on the African continent. This is a testament to the important role Africans are playing in soccer internationally. I wish all the African teams the best and know that they will represent their respective countries well.