Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, is set to lead an intensive diplomatic engagement in New York as Ghana participates in the 81st United Nations General Assembly, with a schedule focused on bilateral diplomacy, multilateral cooperation, UN reform, peace and security, and reparatory justice.
The Foreign Minister’s programme, running from September 18 to 29, places him at the centre of a series of high-level engagements with foreign ministers, international organisations and senior diplomatic figures on the margins of the UN General Assembly.
Among the early engagements is a meeting with the African Union Commission’s Deputy Chairperson, alongside discussions with the European Union Special Representative for the Sahel and the leadership of the International Crisis Group. The programme also includes a bilateral meeting with Panama’s Foreign Minister, during which Ghana and Panama are expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on political consultations.
The diplomatic schedule intensifies on September 21, with meetings involving the Foreign Ministers of Croatia, Qatar, Portugal, Bahrain, Romania, Cuba and Antigua and Barbuda, as well as engagements with Norway and the Director-General of the International Organization for Migration. Ghana is also scheduled to establish diplomatic relations with the Solomon Islands through the signing of a joint communiqué.
A further significant element of the bilateral agenda is Ghana’s engagement with Trinidad and Tobago, where agreements are scheduled to be signed covering air services, trade and the recruitment of Ghanaian health professionals.
As the General Debate gets underway, the Foreign Minister will also participate in discussions on the future of the United Nations, including a ministerial roundtable co-hosted by Ghana, Germany and Singapore on the theme, “Renewal and Focus: The UN we need 5 years from now.” He is also scheduled to participate in a high-level meeting of Like-Minded Global South countries convened by India’s External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar.
Ghana’s foreign policy agenda at the Assembly will also place particular emphasis on reparatory justice. On September 23, the country will participate in a high-level side event examining the transition from commitments to action on the return and restitution of cultural properties and heritage. The Foreign Ministry says the event will receive progress reports from panels established following Ghana’s June 2026 Next Steps Conference on reparatory justice.
The Foreign Minister’s programme further includes discussions on democratic resilience, disarmament and the reintegration of child soldiers, Africa-Arab cooperation and Syria-Africa relations. He is also scheduled for bilateral engagements with counterparts from Germany, Brazil, India, the United Arab Emirates and Colombia.
The diplomatic programme culminates in further high-level engagements involving China, the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and the Africa-Arab Partnership, before Ghana participates in the September 28 high-level meeting marking the 25th anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.
For Ghana, the Foreign Minister’s agenda at UNGA 81 provides a window into the country’s broader foreign-policy priorities as world leaders gather under the theme, “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations That Delivers for All.”
Reporting from New York, Natalie Fort, Foreign Affairs Correspondent, GHOneTV & StarrFM
