Story by Nathaniel Nartey.
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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has set out its priority objectives for the next 4 years. The areas are Regional Peace and Security and Multilateral relations, Enhancing Ghana’s International Image and influence as well as Economic Diplomacy.
These were made known by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, in Accra on November 16, 2021, during the inaugural meeting of the Ministerial Advisory Board.
The 16-Member Board includes Madam Ayorkor Botchwey who will serve as Chairperson.
She spoke of some expectations of the Board.
”The Ministerial Advisory Board carefully comprises selected eminent personalities who have considerable experience and expertise and thus, have been exceptional in their individual field of exploits which the Ministry can tap into in order to fulfil its mandate”.
The Ministry’s objectives for the next 4 years follow significant progress made in its objectives in the last 4 years. The Ministry successfully hosted over fifty (50) international conferences between January 2017 and March 2020. These included conferences organized by the African Union (AU), United Nations (UN) and other international organizations, including Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).
Madam Ayorkor Botchwey said, “Despite the achievements attained by the Ministry during the last four years, collaboration with relevant institutions will seek to address the challenges threatening the peace and security of the sub-region including the Sahel and Jihadist issues, maritime cross-border crimes as well as terrorist infiltration through the Northern Borders of the country”.
Detailed Objectives for the next 4 years
On regional peace and security, the Ministry will continue to provide leadership for the implementation of the reform agenda of ECOWAS and African Union to enhance efficiency and cost-effectiveness. As Chairman of ECOWAS, Ghana will address conflict situations in West Africa (Mali and Guinea) and the Sahel. Ghana will continue to bring to bear her rich experience in conflict mediation, prevention and post- conflict reconstruction during her tenure as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the period January, 2022 – December, 2023. The Ministry will support the President in his role as the Champion of AU Financial Institutions and Leader on Gender and Development Issues in Africa as well as Co-Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
One of the Ministry’s Strategic goals is to enhance Ghana’s Image and influence abroad in international organizations. In that regard, the Ministry will renovate, build or purchase befitting landed properties to enhance our Image abroad as well as enhancing service delivery to Ghanaians and Foreigners by directly issuing biometric passports through hubs. In addition, the Ministry will upgrade its biometric passports into chip-embedded passports, introduce machine-readable visa stickers, and door to door passport delivery service to applicants when necessary.
In the area of Economic Diplomacy, the Ministry will endeavor to attract investment to add value to Ghana’s raw materials, attract tourists to Ghana and identify trade opportunities for Ghanaian exports through market research. The Ministry in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade and Industry will maintain a keen interest in the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA) to facilitate an open African market for Ghanaian products and services.
