Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has arrived in Jamaica for a two-day official and solidarity visit, aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and engaging Ghanaian troops deployed in the Caribbean nation.

In a social media post on Saturday, January 25, the Minister expressed appreciation to his Jamaican counterpart, Kamina Johnson Smith, for the warm reception and hospitality extended to him by the Jamaican government.

“I am grateful to my Jamaican counterpart and dear sister, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, for the warm welcome at the airport and the exceptional hospitality of the Jamaican government,” he wrote.

A central focus of the visit, he said, is to meet Ghanaian soldiers who have spent the past six weeks in Jamaica assisting with reconstruction efforts following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa.

“A key objective is to visit and directly interact with our gallant Ghanaian troops who have spent some six weeks here helping to rebuild Jamaica after the devastation and deaths caused by Hurricane Melissa,” Mr Ablakwa stated.

He disclosed that he would convey a special message from President John Dramani Mahama to the troops, who were drawn from the 48 Engineer Regiment.

“I shall be delivering a special message from Ghana’s Commander-in-Chief, H. E. John Dramani Mahama, to our soldiers,” he noted.

The Minister is also expected to hold high-level bilateral discussions with Jamaica’s Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, as part of efforts to deepen cooperation between the two countries.

According to him, the talks will include final technical consultations towards the deployment of Ghanaian health workers and teachers to Jamaica later this year.

Mr Ablakwa added that the Ghanaian delegation includes senior government and military officials, including the Deputy Minister for Defence, Ernest Brogya Genfi, the Presidential Special Envoy to the Caribbean, Kwasi Kyei Darkwah, the Chief of the Army Staff, Major General Lawrence K. S. Gbetanu, as well as senior officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Education and Health.

He concluded by reaffirming the historic ties between the two nations, saying, “The ancestral and familial bond between Ghana and Jamaica shall never ever be broken.”