On 3rd June this year president Nana Akuffo Addo named 8 persons as Ambassadors of Ghana , the list of the countries which includes Nigeria are USA, UK, Germany, China, Cote d' Ivorie, France and Morocco.
Appointed to lead the Ghanaian diplomatic envoy to Nigeria is Alhaji Rashid Bawa, the president's choice of Amb. Bawa his close ally and friend, signifies the importance of the bilateral relationship of Nigeria and Ghana to his administration. President Nana Akuffo Addo needs someone he can trust in his experience and ability to strengthen the relationship between the two economic powerhouse of the sub-region and Africa at large, choosing Amb. Rashid Bawa as Ghanaian Ambassador to Nigeria indicates the velocity of the President Akuffo Addo's confidence and faith in him which influenced the decision.
Alhaji Rashid Bawa is a seasoned politician and diplomat, he participated in 2000 election and won his parliamentary seat as an independent Mp and subsequently decamped from National Democratic Congress( NDC) where he was prevented from standing on the party’s ticket in the 2000 elections to NPP . Alhaji Rashid Bawa was appointed Ghana Minister of State for Education, Youth and Sports by President John Agyekum Kuffour in February 2001.
He was Ghana's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and has been a close political ally of Ghana's new president for over a decade, he vociferously campaigned for Nana Akuffo Addo to be retained as New Patriotic Party (NPP) Flag bearer , and joined him on some of his campaign trails throughout the years.
In 2008 Alhaji Rashid Bawa was among those being considered by some NPP political powerbrokers as running mate to Nana Akuffo Addo , regardless that he was among those previously considered for the slot of VP , he showed his political maturity and wisdom in 2014 when he urged Nana Addo to choose Dr. Bawumia again because of his expertise and wealth of experience in the nation's economic sector as former deputy governor of the bank of Ghana, a quality which will be handy in Ghana's economic resurgence ,a top priority of President Akuffo Addo then as presidential flag bearer.
Alhaji Rashid Bawa is proactive, down to earth and hardworking man, born by a Gonja Muslim cleric, brought up at kadjebi in the Volta region of Ghana. All eyes are on him now to see what he makes of this sensitive but very important position , because the socio-economic impact and benefits of the two nations to each other is boundless and needs to be steered with utmost care.
