“Visit to Ghana of Mrs. Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General Candidate”

25th Jul 2017 | Source: DUENAS Yaren

The former French Communication and Culture Minister, Mrs. Audrey Azoulay was in Accra for a visit on Tuesday the 18^th and Wednesday 19^th July 2017. This visit is in prospect of her candidacy for the position of UNESCO Director-General as elections to the executive committee of the organization come off in October 2017. Mrs. Azoulay, on her tour, met with the President Nana Akufo-Addo, Minister for Tourism and Creative arts, Hon. Catherine Afeku and various Ghanaian personalities from the cultural sector.

Objectives of Audrey Azoulay’s Visit to Ghana

Audrey Azoulay’s visit to Accra enabled her to develop her ideas and projects which she plans to implement particularly where UNESCO’s activities in Africa are concerned, reaffirming her readiness to ensure the empowerment of individuals through the promotion of science and culture. In this regard, she emphasized on the importance she attaches to the development of education and the structures which encourage the thriving of the youth on every level. ‘Education is essential for limiting the influence of identity politics and for encouraging openness. It affords people the opportunity to discover and share in exchanges of knowledge and common values which are based on mutual respect. This is why I will make education my priority’, she affirmed.

Mrs. Azoulay also revealed her vision for Africa. According to her, UNESCO’s objectives ‘need to be reaffirmed, particularly in Africa by harnessing its wide networking capacity, which represents the organization’s strength and is also an innovative means of promoting education, international training and cooperation among universities.

Meetings with Personalities and Visit to Site.

Along with the Ambassador of France, H.E. François Pujolas, Mrs. Audrey Azoulay had a meeting with Hon. Yaw Osei Adutwum, Deputy Minister for Education. Next, she met the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon. Charles Owiredu, after which she was received at the Flagstaff House for an audience with the President of the Republic, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. Mrs. Azoulay was finally hosted at a reception at the Residence of France, with former President John Agyekum Kufuor, the Minister of Tourism and Culture, Hon. Catherine Afeku as well as other personalities from the cultural sector in attendance.

The UNESCO Director General hopeful in her discussions with these personalities, spoke on her vision for Africa and Ghana, for that matter, and on the policies which she planned to introduce or to reinforce. Audrey Azoulay’s tour was also marked by a visit of the Osu Castle, which is along with other forts in Ghana listed as a UNESCO world heritage site.