Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Foreign Minister Dr. Konstantinos Kombos hosted meetings with Ghanaian Foreign Minister Shirley A. Botchwey in Nicosia, establishing a framework for political consultations.

This framework aims to facilitate cooperation across various fields, including trade, maritime security, education, fisheries, tourism, and visa protocols.

During a meeting at the Cypriot foreign ministry headquarters, Ms Botchwey highlighted the opportunities presented by the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), headquartered in Ghana.

"We must explore trade opportunities between our two countries. I recommend a visit by a Cypriot business mission to Ghana to explore mutually beneficial opportunities under AfCFTA," she said.

The discussions also covered multilateral issues, including the United Nations and the future of the Commonwealth.

Ms. Botchwey, with strong bipartisan support in Ghana, has offered to lead the 56-member organisation when Heads of Government meet to elect a new Secretary-General in October in Samoa.

Dr Kombos praised Ghana for its stance on international law during its tenure on the UN Security Council, which ended in 2023.

"The Commonwealth is a powerful organization, but it needs a different outlook and a new approach to make it even more impactful," he said, noting the organization’s annual GDP of over $13 trillion.

Ms. Botchwey agreed, emphasizing, "We must ensure that the wealth of the Commonwealth becomes common for all its members." She advocated for the Commonwealth to support young people through skill training and financial backing for innovation and start-ups to counter illegal migration.

A prominent member of Ghana’s national security council and a leading African diplomat, Ms. Botchwey has made the future of young people in the Commonwealth a key pillar of her candidacy.

Over 60 per cent of the Commonwealth’s 2.6 billion people are under thirty years old.

President Christodoulides expressed Cyprus' support for Ms Botchwey’s vision for the Commonwealth, which includes boosting trade and investment within the organisation and addressing the economic impact of climate change on vulnerable Small Island Developing States and Small States, mainly in the Caribbean and the Pacific.

Currently, trade between Ghana and Cyprus is limited, at $1.8 million as of 2022.

However, the A.G. Leventis Foundation, an offshoot of a former corporate organization in Ghana, funds wildlife conservation through the Ghana Wildlife Society and supports youth in agriculture via the University of Ghana and related research centres.