Text of the Claude Ake Memorial Lecture Delivered by Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas at the Rivers State Assembly, in Port Harcourt, Nigeria -  Friday 22 February 2013

Your Excellency, Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, Executive Governor of Rivers State;

On the occassion of the Opening Ceremony of the 7th Summit for ACP Heads of State and Government, Malabo - Equatorial Guinea, 13 December 2012

Your Excellency, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, President of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea,

Your Excellency, John Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana, and Outgoing Chair of ACP Heads of State and Government,

Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Government,

Honorable Ministers,

H. E. Desiré Delano Bouterse, President of Suriname,

H. E. Donald Ramotar, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana

Hon. Musikari Kombo, President of the ACP Parliamentary Assembly

Hon. Rabindre Parmessar, Master of Ceremonies

GLOBAL FORUM ON MIGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT (GFMD) 2012 SUMMIT MEETING ON

“Migration and Development: Common Ground and Partnerships in Action”

The Swami Vivekananda International Convention Center (SVICC)

Pailles, Port Louis, Mauritius,

21 November 2012

Honorable Ministers, Our Special Guest, Mr. Pascal Lamy Director-General of the WTO, Permanent Secretaries and Directors-General of Ministries responsible for Trade matters in ACP States, Excellency Ambassadors, Heads and representatives of ACP regional integration organizations, Distinguished participants, Ladies and gentlemen, 

Permanent Secretaries and Directors-General of Ministries responsible for Trade matters in ACP States; Excellency Ambassadors; Heads and representatives of ACP regional integration organizations; Distinguished participants; Ladies and gentlemen;

It is a pleasure for me to welcome you all to Belgium, Brussels and to ACP House, your House for this meeting of ACP Senior Trade Officials.

Honourable Ministers; Your Excellencies; Our friends of the Press; Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of the ACP Secretariat, and in my own name, I welcome you all to ACP House – your own house.  This third meeting of the Ministers of Culture could not have come at a more opportune time.

Hon. Chairman of the Forum, Prime Minister Henry Puna of the Cook Islands, Honourable Leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum, Tuiloma Neroni Slade, Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat,  your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I warmly thank you for the honour of addressing you at this 43rd Summit of the Pacific Islands Forum.

Your Excellency, Henry Puna, Hon. Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, and Chairman of the Pacific ACP Leaders Meeting,
Distinguished Leaders of the Pacific ACP Countries,
Tuiloma Neroni Slade, Secretary-General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Brussels, 30 July 2012: It was with much grief that we learned of the passing of H. E. Professor John Atta Mills, President of the Republic of Ghana. At the time of his death on Tuesday 24^th July, the late President was the Chairman of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States by virtue of Ghana having hosted the Sixth Summit of ACP Heads of State and Government in October 2008.