Vice President Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has described the recent administrative overhauls at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as “humane interventions,” urging the nation’s diplomats to remain mindful of the citizens they represent beyond the capital.
Speaking during a working visit to the Ministry, the Vice President praised the sector’s leadership for lowering barriers to essential services, specifically highlighting the 30% reduction in passport fees and the establishment of application centers in all 16 regions.
She emphasized that the new one-day emergency passport service and the decentralization of offices are not merely administrative wins, but critical lifelines for ordinary Ghanaians.
”Sometimes you are taken ill and you have to move quickly to get a passport. You may have taken ill, you didn’t decide to get ill,” she noted. “These are very, very humane interventions, and I want to commend you for introducing this. Life outside of Accra can be unnecessarily frustrating, and part of the reason we are here is to reduce those frustrations for our own people.”
Economic Diplomacy and Global Competitiveness
Addressing the Ministry’s role in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the Vice President challenged Ghanaian diplomats to ensure that economic diplomacy is mutually beneficial. She questioned why foreign businesses thrive in Ghana while Ghanaian businesses often struggle to establish a footprint abroad.
”We must reset this country in very serious ways,” she stated. “How many Ghanaian businesses do we have in those countries? What KPIs do (foreign embassies) carry that we are not carrying? We must ensure our businesses are thriving away from Ghana, just as other people’s businesses thrive here.”
Support for Staff and Institutional Excellence
The Vice President also took time to acknowledge the high percentage of women within the Ministry’s ranks. Recalling a conversation with former U.S. President Barack Obama, she quipped that being surrounded by women is a formula for success: “How can you go wrong?”
She expressed satisfaction with the Ministry’s focus on staff welfare, particularly the procurement of air-conditioned buses for junior staff. In a lighthearted moment, she noted that of all the ministries visited by the Presidency, the Foreign Ministry was unique in its focus on output rather than financial requests. “This is the only ministry where nobody is asking for money,” she observed, adding that the institution’s self-sufficiency and high performance would be a welcome report for the national treasury.
A Commitment to Reparatory Justice
Concluding her remarks, she reaffirmed her support for the upcoming June conference on reparatory justice and the landmark UN Resolution 350. She reminded the diplomats that their positions of authority must be used to benefit those without such privilege.
”You are our eyes and ears out of the country,” she told the Foreign Service officers. “You have a unique responsibility to ensure that the image of this country is raised and maintained. Insofar as nothing stops us, we will be there to support you.”
Story By: Eugenia Ewoenam Osei
