By Sarah Baafi
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has launched an innovative office rotation initiative aimed at making the Foreign Ministry more accessible to Ghanaians worldwide.
The first leg of this initiative has taken him to Benin, with upcoming stops in Nigeria and Togo.
He said, “Our first batch of office rotation is taking us to Benin, Nigeria, and Togo. This initiative is part of our commitment to open, transparent, hands-on, and accessible governance under President Mahama’s administration.”
During his two-day visit to Benin, Hon. Ablakwa interacted with the vibrant Ghanaian community, meeting students on a French-Year-Abroad Programme, entrepreneurs, and staff of the State Transport Corporation (STC). He also held talks with the Ghanaian community leadership and inspected diplomatic properties to inform policy decisions.
He stated, “The exclusive engagement with staff of our diplomatic mission has been absolutely beneficial as it will clearly lead to the right and most appropriate set of interventions when I return to Accra.”
Hon. Ablakwa emphasised his intention to continue this initiative regularly, aiming to reach Ghanaians across Africa before expanding to other continents. He noted, “We hope to reach out to our compatriots in Africa before replicating this in other continents.”
He added, “I availed myself for private consultations at our embassy with Ghanaians desirous of a one-on-one opportunity to discuss important and urgent matters with their Foreign Minister.”
Looking forward to his next stop, Minister Ablakwa expressed enthusiasm for spending the next three days in Nigeria.
