President John Dramani Mahama has arrived in Kingston to begin a historic four-day state visit aimed at strengthening the longstanding ties between Ghana and Jamaica, expanding cooperation between Africa and the Caribbean, and advancing the global campaign for reparations for the transatlantic slave trade.
President Mahama’s aircraft landed at the Norman Manley International Airport on Sunday evening, where he was accorded full official honours by a high-level Jamaican delegation led by Ambassador Sandra Grant Griffiths, Chief of State Protocol at the Office of the Prime Minister, and Ghana’s High Commissioner to Jamaica, H.E. Kofi Attor.
Among the senior Jamaican officials who welcomed the President were Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith; Permanent Secretary and Head of the Foreign Service, Ambassador Sheila Sealy Monteith; Jamaica’s Non-Resident High Commissioner to Ghana, H.E. Lincoln Downer; Under-Secretaries Ambassador Symone Betton-Nayo and Ambassador Franz Hall; and Dr. Janice Miller, Medical Director at the Ministry of Health and Wellness.
President Mahama is accompanied by a high-powered Ghanaian delegation comprising the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa; Deputy Minister for Defence, Ernest Brogya Genfi; Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Khadija Iddrisu; Ghana’s High Commissioner to Jamaica, H.E. Kofi Attor; and Head of Chancery at the Ghana High Commission in Jamaica (Havana), Dr. Chris Nrah.
The state visit, scheduled from August 2 to August 5, 2026, is expected to deepen diplomatic, cultural and economic relations between Ghana and Jamaica while strengthening engagement between Ghana and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). The visit also follows Ghana’s humanitarian assistance to Jamaica after a recent natural disaster, underscoring the enduring solidarity between the two nations.
A key highlight of the visit will be President Mahama’s participation in a high-level Reparations Dialogue at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus, where he will join Sir Hilary Beckles, Vice-Chancellor of UWI and Chairman of the CARICOM Reparations Commission, to discuss strategies for advancing the global reparations movement and addressing the enduring legacy of the transatlantic slave trade.
The President will also honour Jamaica’s Pan-African legacy by laying a wreath at the shrine of National Hero The Right Honourable Marcus Mosiah Garvey at the National Heroes Park.
He is further expected to visit Seville Heritage Park in St. Ann to tour the Ghanaian Village Houses, a historic site symbolising the deep ancestral and cultural links between Ghana and Jamaica.
President Mahama will hold bilateral discussions with Jamaican leaders at the Office of the Prime Minister, with talks expected to focus on expanding cooperation in trade, investment, education, tourism, culture and broader South-South collaboration.
One of the defining moments of the visit will be his address to a joint sitting of Jamaica’s Houses of Parliament at the George William Gordon House, where he is expected to articulate a shared vision for enhanced Africa-Caribbean cooperation.
The President’s programme also includes participation in a Trade and Investment Dialogue, a tour of the Kingston Freeport hosted by the Port Authority of Jamaica, a courtesy call on Opposition Leader Mark Golding, attendance at the “Mello-Go-Roun” cultural celebrations commemorating Jamaica’s 64th Independence Anniversary, and a State Dinner hosted in his honour by Governor-General Sir Patrick Allen and Lady Allen at King’s House.
Speaking ahead of the visit, officials at the Presidency described the trip as a landmark moment in Ghana’s foreign policy and Pan-African engagement.
“This visit reflects Ghana’s unwavering commitment to strengthening its historic partnership with Jamaica and the wider Caribbean.
It presents a unique opportunity to deepen economic cooperation, promote cultural and educational exchanges, and build a stronger united voice on reparations and global justice,” the Presidency said.
The Presidency further expressed confidence that the visit would lay the foundation for a new era of strategic cooperation.
“President Mahama’s engagements in Jamaica are expected to reinforce Ghana’s role as a gateway for CARICOM’s engagement with Africa while advancing shared priorities in trade, investment, sustainable development and South-South cooperation,” the statement added.
The visit is widely expected to mark a significant milestone in Ghana-Jamaica relations, reinforcing centuries-old historical connections while charting a modern partnership anchored in economic transformation, cultural solidarity and a shared commitment to justice for people of African descent.
Story: Patrick Asford Boadu
