The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has challenged Ghana’s top diplomats and qualified staff of its foreign service to look out for opportunities for positions in international organisations.

He said the ministry would revive the candidature bureau and thosea who would aim at strategic positions at all levels would be supported with resources needed to make successful bids to raise the image of Ghana globally.

He explained that seeking such positions would also help Ghana to have representatives sitting in high positions “when decisions are being made and when geopolitical considerations are going on”.

“So, I want to encourage all of you to look out for space for opportunities and we will back and support you. We will raise campaign teams and find the resources to campaign for you,” he said.

You have that credibility

At a staff durbar on his first day at work last Monday, Mr Ablakwa said, “At all levels and every position, let us go for it and let us establish our footprints in all of these international organisations since you have that credibility.

Staff of Ghana's foreign mission

“If other countries are doing it, we should be able to do it because when you go higher and you are serving our interests in the international organisations, we benefit and I am going to be very big on our candidature,” he said.

During the interaction, he spoke about how various personalities and past Foreign Ministers of Ghana, after serving the country, had secured prestigious international appointments.

He cited the former UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan; the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for West Africa and Head of the UN Office for West Africa, Dr Ibn Chambas; the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Libya and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Hanna Tetteh; and the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey.  

Take your rightful place

The minister said Ghana had contributed immensely to the international community, particularly in the areas of peace and stability over the years.

He recalled how since 1960  Ghana deployed the first peace mission in the Congo, it had always been the top 10 troops contributors.

“Yet, we have not, to be fair, taken our rightful place in the various international organisations,” he said.

He, therefore, expressed the conviction that if Ghana’s top diplomats were to be very aggressive in going after international positions, they stood a great chance of securing top appointments.

The minister expressed surprise at how some of the top envoys he had received already even before he was sworn in were aggressive about getting Ghana’s votes for their candidates for top AU summit positions.

“They even told me that it was ok if we have some candidates, we could go into some horse-trading but we were found wanting because when I checked we had only four candidates that you push in this season, and that is not good enough,” he said.

Mr Ablakwa recalled how three years ago, he attended a meeting in the Hague as a Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee, and saw so many Africans from one francophone country serving in different capacities such as security and protocol officers.

With those staff assuming that he was also coming from the same francophone country, he sought to know why there were so many Africans from one country working in the Hague.

“They said it just took one brother at the top and we all came along and I said ok so that is how it works.

“So, if you do not push your people to get in there and be at the top, you will not receive your fair share,” he said.

He added: “So, we have to be big on that then we create more jobs internationally for our people and create space here as well for people to come in and most importantly it enhances our image”.

Credit

The minister paid glowing tribute to all former ministers of Foreign Affairs who came before him.

Appearing thankful, he credited the staff of the ministry for contributing to the acknowledgement by international organisations of the credibility of Ghana’s Foreign Ministers.

“It is really to our collective pride that Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey is now the Secretary General of the Commonwealth.

“If you had not served her diligently and given the support that she deserved, she would not have attained that height,” he said.