The Republic of Ghana is interested in working together with Russian entrepreneurs in various fields, including the cultivation and production of medical marijuana, a senior member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Parliament of Ghana, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, told Sputnik.
He said on the sidelines of a meeting with the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) of Russia Sergey Katyrin that one of the goals is to increase Russia's presence in the markets of Ghana, adding that Ghana wants to develop trade on the terms of equal partnership.
Ablakwa called the development of deposits, the extraction of hydrocarbons and gold as priority areas for cooperation with Russia.
In addition, Ghana's representative revealed that last week country's parliment passed a law that legalized the cultivation and production of medical cannabis, adding that "the market has a great potential and Russia can enter it."
"I am not a big expert in marijuana, but I hope that our pharmacists will be able to use this information, we will bring it to their attention," Katyrin responded.
Russia has its own facilities for growing cannabis – its technical non-narcotic varieties. According to Hemp Agro-Industrial Association, cannabis crops in Russia now occupy about 13,000 hectares. The first place in terms of the size of cultivated areas in Russia is occupied by the agro-industrial holding – the company is engaged in the production of food, fiber, feed, as well as research activities related to breeding and seed production.
Earlier, it was announced that the reinforcement of Russia-Ghana economic cooperation is to be discussed at the second Russia–Africa Summit on July 27-28, according to the chairman of the business consultors Ghana-Russia Business Development Council, Lawrence Awuku-Boateng.
The official revealed that possible localization of the Russian car production by the automobile plant UAZ in Ghana is on the agenda of the upcoming summit.
He added that a memorandum of understanding between the Ghana-Russia Business Development Council and the Russian Export Center will also be signed during the event.