MUSAH YAHYA DAILY GRAPHIC –  JafaruGhana’s first Ambassador to the Vatican, Sir James Kwame Bebaako-Mensah, has been sworn in by President John Dramani Mahama.

 

The President administered the oaths of allegiance, office and secrecy to Sir Bebaako-Mensah at the Flagstaff House, Kanda in Accra.

 

Thereafter, Sir Bebaako-Mensah signed the oath book after which the President handed over the scroll of office to him.

 

Sir Bebaako-Mensah is a distinguished civil servant whose public service came to prominence when he served as Secretary to the Cabinet during the second term of former President Jerry John Rawlings.

 

He retired from the civil service in April 2001, but was recalled from retirement in January 2009 to serve as Secretary to former President John Evans Atta Mills. He served in that position until January 2013.

 

Sir Bebaako-Mensah is a graduate of the University of Ghana, Legon, the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) and the Ghana Armed Forces Staff College.

 

In 2006, Sir Bebaako-Mensah was decorated with the Companion of the Order of the Volta for his distinguished service in the public service.

 

He is also an awardee of the Knighthood of the Order of Saint Gregory The Great by Pope Benedict XVI for his distinguished service to the Church and the state.

 

It, therefore, came as no surprise that his swearing-in yesterday was attended by an array of personalities, including a former Chief of Staff, Mr Henry Martey Newman; the current Chief of Staff, Mr Prosper Douglas Bani; a Special Advisor to the President on Foreign Affairs, Mr Victor Gbeho; and the Paramount Chief of the Krachi Traditional Area, Nana Mprah Besemuna III.

 

President Mahama described Sir Bebaako-Mensah as a distinguished civil servant who had paid his dues to the country in several areas.

 

He said his appointment as Ghana’s first Ambassador to the Holy See, which has moved him out of the civil service into the world of diplomacy, was a perfect way “to crown a distinguished career”.

 

The President said the time had come for Ghana to establish a mission in the Vatican considering the number of Catholics in Ghana and the relationship between Ghana and the Vatican.

 

“It is appropriate for us to have a mission in the Vatican to cater for the relationship between Ghana and the Papacy,” he said.

 

President Mahama expressed the hope that Sir Bebaako-Mensah, who is held in high esteem by the Catholic Church, would be able to advance ties between Ghana and the Vatican.

 

Responding, Sir Bebaako-Mensah said he saw his appointment as Ghana’s envoy to the Vatican as a fulfilment of a cherished dream for him and many Ghanaians. He gave an assurance that he would give his best to justify the confidence reposed in him by the President.

 

 Sir Bebaako-Mensah said his focus would be to promote Ghana’s demands for  improvement in the  education and health sectors at the Vatican.

 

He noted that President Mahama’s vision of fighting poverty, assisting the vulnerable and promoting inter-faith dialogue was in agreement with what Pope Francis stood for.

 

Sir Bebaako-Mensah thanked former President Rawlings for appointing him as Secretary to the Cabinet and former President Mills for nominating him as his secretary and encouraging him to do his best for his country.