Ghana and the UK extensively review excellent bilateral relations

On Wednesday, October 21, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, was hosted by the distinguished Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom, His Excellency Edward Miliband.

Mr Ablakwa congratulated him on his appointment and commended him for his inspiring leadership.

He said the meeting afforded them the opportunity to extensively review the excellent bilateral relations. between the two countries.

"We welcomed the impressive upward trajectory in Ghana-UK trade and investments.

"I am delighted to report that we have made significant progress in the negotiations I initiated for Ghanaians to be exempted from the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) examinations for students and professionals.

"Thus far, we have demonstrated that Ghana meets the minimum statistical threshold in English proficiency for favourable consideration by our UK friends. Both sides remain highly optimistic," he wrote on X after the meeting.

He added that "Ed and I also had illuminating discussions on understanding President Mahama’s vision on reparatory justice, and the prospects for an honest broader dialogue following the landmark Ghana-led UN resolution declaring the transatlantic enslavement as the gravest crime against humanity."

On the multilateral front, he said they explored the shared priorities having regard for the fact that in 2027 Ghana will Chair the African Union as the UK assumes the G20 Presidency in the same year.

They additionally assessed preparations and common areas of focus for next month’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Antigua and Barbuda.

"I thank the outstanding Foreign Secretary for his warm hospitality. We deeply cherish our longstanding Ghana 🇬🇭 UK 🇬🇧 relations," he wrote.