The Minister-designate for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey has stated that the country’s foreign policy under the administration of Nana Akufo-Addo will focus on economic diplomacy aimed at making the country’s membership felt in the region.
“The foreign policy of this country has shifted focus from what we call normal diplomacy, that is, good neighbourliness, good relations, making sure that the countries surrounding you, you are very chummy with them and all of that.
“What we have moved to is economic diplomacy…and that is to ensure that in every relationship that Ghana engages in, that relationship should end up in promoting and protecting the interest of Ghana and also to ensure that it ends up in giving us positive dividends towards our development economically. So, that is the thrust of our foreign policy right now,” she told parliament’s Appointments Committee on Monday during her vetting.
She continued that Ghana under the leadership of Nana Akufo-Addo will deepen engagement with the African Union and the regional body ECOWAS to promote trade and sustainable development.
“We should be able as a country, as we have done in the past, to shape consensus within the ECOWAS region because if we are able to get things right and get ECOWAS to work very well, we have a ready market of 350 million,” she said.
“Right now, Ghana or West Africa, and by extension Africa, we do not trade amongst ourselves. We always look outside the continent to trade with Europe or the Asian countries. I think it’s about time we start looking within because we have so much potential but we need to get things right,” she added.
