Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, held a series of bilateral meetings with Caribbean and international counterparts on the margins of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Antigua and Barbuda.
The talks produced a request from Antigua for more Ghanaian nurses, a port agreement with Jamaica that is now ready, and fresh investment discussions with Trinidad and Tobago.
Hon. Ablakwa outlined the outcomes in a written statement that presents them as evidence of progress with strategic partners. Accra wants to expand trade, labour mobility, aviation and maritime links with the Caribbean while it builds support for its priorities as African Union Chair next year.
“My bilateral meeting with the host Foreign Minister, His Excellency Everly Paul Chet Greene of Antigua and Barbuda, confirmed that the first group of 120 nurses from Ghana is making an impressive impact.”
Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
Antigua and Barbuda Asks for More Ghanaian Health Workers
The meeting with Greene gave Ghana’s health workforce export programme a clear endorsement. Antigua has requested more health workers, a signal that the first deployment met expectations on the ground.
Hon Ablakwa also pointed to Ghana’s new visa waiver for all categories of passport holders, which follows Cabinet’s approval of a waiver for Antigua and Barbuda. He expects the measure “to bring us closer as we deepen trade, tourism and people-to-people relations.”
For Ghanaian traders, tourists and professionals, the waiver removes a practical barrier to the islands.
Jamaica Port Agreement Ready for Tema and Kingston
Hon. Ablakwa’s engagement with Jamaican Foreign Minister Kamina Johnson Smith centred on the Ghana-Jamaica Port Cooperation Agreement, which he describes as ready. It would link the Tema Port and the Port of Kingston in a comprehensive partnership covering trade, logistics, maritime cooperation and job creation.
The agreement builds on a diplomatic push that Ghana pursued in Kingston in August, when President Mahama pressed for a deeper Africa-Caribbean partnership, and the two governments charted a new chapter in their ties.
Hon. Ablakwa added that Ghana’s latest group of nurses has arrived in Jamaica under the labour mobility programme negotiated last year.
Trinidad and Tobago Talks Target Oil and Gas
Hon. Ablakwa held a substantive meeting with Trinidad and Tobago’s Foreign Minister, Sean S.M. Sobers, focused on new investments and the expansion of oil and gas partnerships. Ghana will also commission a new High Commission in Trinidad next year, giving Accra a permanent diplomatic base in the Caribbean energy hub.
That presence matters for a government that wants its Caribbean strategy to rest on more than summit declarations. President Mahama has also signalled interest in extending the African Continental Free Trade Area to the Caribbean.
Direct Flights Depend on Ghana Airways Revival
Aviation links remain the missing piece. Hon. Ablakwa disclosed that negotiators are working toward flights between Ghana and the Caribbean once the airline’s revival reaches completion.
“We are finalizing air services agreements with our Caribbean friends to work out direct flight arrangements between Ghana and the Caribbean when the ongoing revival of Ghana Airways is completed.”
Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
The statement gives no timeline for either the revival or the first direct route. Until the airline returns, the visa waiver, nurse deployments and port plans must carry most of the load in strengthening people-to-people contact.
Australia Talks and Africa’s Agenda at the UN
Beyond the Caribbean, Hon Ablakwa met James Buttigieg, Australia’s Assistant Secretary for Multilateral Peace, Security and Candidacies. The discussion covered shared priorities as Australia bids for membership of the UN Security Council.
Ghana uses such meetings to build support for Africa’s case. As Chair of the African Union next year, Accra is forging closer ties with international allies to advance reforms at the United Nations and to secure permanent African representation on the Security Council.
Hon. Ablakwa listed further priorities: a reconfiguration of the international financial architecture, AI regulation, climate justice, resource sovereignty, reparatory justice and conflict resolution.
What Comes Next for Ghana’s Caribbean Diplomacy
Hon. Ablakwa closed his statement by thanking fellow Foreign Ministers for their working relations and for the progress made together. The outcomes now move from conversation to delivery.
The Jamaica port agreement awaits formal action, the flight arrangements await the airline’s revival, and Antigua’s request for more nurses awaits a response from Accra. Ghanaian health workers, traders and shippers will measure the diplomacy by whether those commitments become signed agreements and working routes.
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