The President, Prime Minister, and Foreign Minister of Malta met with Ghana’s Foreign Minister and candidate for Commonwealth Secretary-General, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, in Valetta, expressing satisfaction with their relations with Ghana.

Ghana hosts Malta's only diplomatic mission in sub-Saharan Africa, which opened in January 2023.

“Ghana is an important partner for us,” Foreign Minister Ian Borg told his Ghanaian counterpart.

“We have 24 companies doing business in Ghana. They have no complaints; they’re happy.”

Last year, Mr. Borg led a delegation of 45, mostly investors, to open the High Commission of Malta in Accra.

Ghana’s High Commission in Malta, established in 2014, is the only fully-fledged sub-Saharan diplomatic mission in Valetta.

In her meetings with Mr. Borg, Prime Minister Robert Abela, and President Myriam Spiteri Debono, Ms. Botchwey emphasized the importance of trade and investment over aid.

“Trade and investments are critical for creating jobs for our young people to help stem the tide of illegal migration,” she said.

“We need desperately to create opportunities for young people. We don’t want them to leave Africa; we need strong advocacy for the interests of young people in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific.”

Ms Botchwey, who has served multiple terms as a legislator for the most populous constituency in Ghana, prioritizes trade, investment, skills training, and startups for youth across the Commonwealth.

The 56-member Commonwealth has a population of 2.6 billion, nearly two-thirds of whom are under 30.

She said the Commonwealth “could punch above its weight,” citing the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Health Worker Protocol and the Highly Indebted Poor-Country Initiative (HIPC) as examples of the Commonwealth's potential.

Prime Minister Abela agreed, saying, “We should discuss Ghana and Africa in terms of trade, not aid. Unfortunately, Africa is often discussed in terms of migration. We should see Africa in terms of mutual opportunities; the potential is there.”

Through May of this year alone, over 800 migrants are reported to have died attempting to cross the Mediterranean; last year, an estimated 3,100 reportedly lost their lives.

Ms. Botchwey also paid a courtesy call to President Debono and discussed the threat posed by climate change to small island states such as Malta and others in the Pacific and the Caribbean, where Hurricane Beryl recently caused significant damage.

“The Commonwealth can rally its members towards raising critical financing to help build resilience among these vulnerable states,” Ms Botchwey said.

She cited the Pacific island nation of Kiribati, whose highest point is a mere four meters above sea level, as an example of a Commonwealth country facing an “existential threat.”

She stressed that the collective voice of the Commonwealth must be mobilized to make a difference.

Ghana and Malta have exchanged state visits in recent years, with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo being received in Malta in 2019, and Ghana hosting President George William Vella in March this year, one month before retiring and handing over to President Debono, 71, for a five-year non-renewable term.