Jamaica and Ghana Reignite Bilateral Relations

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, has announced a series of initiatives that will renew bilateral relations between Jamaica and Ghana, following the successful staging of the third session of the Jamaica-Ghana Permanent Joint Commission for Cooperation.

The formal meetings, which were held on May 25 and 26 in Accra, Ghana, marked the first time the Joint Commission has convened in 21 years.

Speaking at Wednesday’s (June 3) Post-Cabinet Press Briefing at Jamaica House, Minister Johnson detailed the outcomes of the Commission, which included the signing of two major cooperation agreements in health and defence, alongside a modernised framework for sports and culture.

“The visit provided an excellent opportunity to advance and re-energise our cooperation in the areas of health, in the areas of defence, trade, air services, culture, sports and education,” Minister Johnson Smith said.

The newly signed health agreement establishes a framework for the recruitment of Ghanian healthcare workers to Jamaica.

It also paves the way for bilateral cooperation in hospital management, specialised care, digital health, telemedicine, emergency preparedness, as well as research and health surveillance.

On defence cooperation, Minister Johnson Smith stated that the agreement builds on the success of Ghana’s recent solidarity mission to Jamaica in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.

“The agreement provides for a framework for joint training for maritime security, cyber defence, and cooperation against transnational threats,” Minister Johnson Smith explained.

Notably, the model utilised by the Ghana Armed Force’s engineering corps in Jamaica will now serve as a blueprint for the African country’s future global humanitarian responses.

“Normally, they donate food or other in kind, or even cash, but this was the first time they had members of their engineering corps on the ground, and… because of its excellent success, it now will serve as a model for their unfolding of this model in other humanitarian responses where required,” the Minister said.

Additionally, the delegation successfully updated and modernised a 2005 agreement on sports and culture, expanding its scope to better reflect contemporary creative industries.

Meanwhile, the Joint Commission emphasised turning South-South cooperation into tangible economic outcomes, with both countries agreeing to target joint ventures in agro-processing, financial technology, logistics, manufacturing, energy, and the creative industries.

Minister Johnson Smith added that to operationalise these goals, Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Senator the Hon. Aubyn Hill, will lead a Jamaican business delegation to Ghana this July.

Organised in partnership with Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), the mission already features 38 registered Jamaican companies looking to scale exports and investments.

Furthermore, both nations pledged to fast-track the bilateral Air Services Agreement signed in 2018.

“Ghana, on their side, is working on their airlift, and there will be more to say about that in due course. And we are ultimately examining the opportunity for establishing direct air links and, by extension, increased people-to-people ties between Kingston and Accra, both gateways to our respective regions,” Senator Johnson Smith outlined.

To ensure the momentum is sustained, the nations will utilise biennial political consultations and technical implementation teams to monitor progress.

This renewed partnership sets a firm trajectory towards 2028, which will mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Jamaica and Ghana, culminating in the hosting of the next Permanent Joint Commission in Kingston.