Ablakwa in Jamaica for two-day official visit

Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has arrived in Jamaica for a two-day official and solidarity visit focused on bilateral ties and support for Ghanaian troops.

The visit, announced in a post on the Minister’s X account on Sunday, includes engagements with Jamaican authorities and interactions with Ghanaian soldiers deployed to assist the Caribbean nation after the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa.

“I am grateful to my Jamaican counterpart and dear sister, Senator the Honourable Kamina Johnson Smith, for the warm welcome at the airport and the exceptional hospitality of the Jamaican government,” Mr. Ablakwa wrote.

He described the visit as both official and symbolic, underscoring long-standing relations between the two countries.

A central feature of the trip is a visit to Ghanaian troops who have spent about six weeks in Jamaica supporting reconstruction efforts following the hurricane, which resulted in deaths and widespread damage.

“A key objective is to visit and directly interact with our gallant Ghanaian troops who have spent some six weeks here helping to rebuild Jamaica,” the Minister stated.

He noted that the contingent was drawn from the 48 Engineer Regiment and said he would deliver a special message from Ghana’s Commander-in-Chief, President John Dramani Mahama, to the soldiers.

“I shall be delivering a special message from Ghana’s Commander-in-Chief, H. E. John Dramani Mahama to our soldiers,” he said.

The Foreign Affairs Minister is also scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Jamaica’s Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Honourable Andrew Holness.

According to him, the discussions will focus on strengthening cooperation and advancing shared priorities between Accra and Kingston.

Beyond diplomatic engagements, the visit is expected to advance technical consultations aimed at exporting Ghanaian health workers and teachers to Jamaica later this year.

“This official trip is also expected to finalise technical consultations towards the exportation of Ghanaian health workers and teachers to Jamaica this year,” Mr. Ablakwa noted.

Members of Ghana’s delegation include Deputy Minister for Defence Ernest Brogya Genfi; Presidential Special Envoy to the Caribbean, Kwasi Kyei Darkwah; Chief of the Army Staff, Major General Lawrence K. S. Gbetanu; as well as senior military officers and directors from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Education and Health.

Reflecting on the historical links between both countries, the Minister said,

“The ancestral and familial bond between Ghana and Jamaica shall never ever be broken.”