Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa says Ghana’s international engagements are focused on creating opportunities for Africans and Ghanaians through job creation, industrialisation and investment.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, Ablakwa said Ghana was pursuing bilateral partnerships that would deliver tangible benefits to its people rather than focusing solely on diplomatic engagements.
“We want to create opportunities in Africa, in our country, in Ghana, and in all my bilateral arrangements and meetings, that is my focus, that is my priority,” he said.
He said the government was particularly focused on attracting investments that would support industrialisation and create jobs for Ghana’s growing young population.
According to Ablakwa, discussions with countries such as Qatar and Bahrain have included ways to add value to Ghana’s natural resources and establish more factories.
“I just finished a good meeting with Qatar and Bahrain and we discussed how to help us to add value to our natural resources, to build more factories, because we have a very young population,” he said.
The Minister stressed that Ghana’s natural resources must generate greater economic value domestically through processing and industrialisation.
“It’s about concretely what we can deliver for the Ghanaian people. Job creation, industrialization, real development, value addition, making sure there’s resource sovereignty, that our natural resources are not just offered for cheap, without adding value, industrializing, and creating jobs for our people,” he stated.
Ablakwa said Ghana’s approach to bilateral diplomacy is therefore centred on securing practical partnerships that can contribute to employment, industrial growth and economic development.
“I don’t come out of any meeting without anything positive. It’s not just about handshakes, it’s not just about photo opportunities, no,” he said.
He added that he has more than 20 bilateral meetings lined up with strategic countries and major international actors as part of Ghana’s engagements during UNGA81.
