Jamaica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kamina Johnson Smith, was recently honored as Tourism and Diaspora Queen in Ghana. She was conferred with the title on her visit to Ghana as part of her campaign in Africa to become Commonwealth Secretary-General.
The naming certificate was given to Minister Johnson Smith at the palace of Ghanian traditional ruler and chief of the Akropong tribe, Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akuffo III. During the visit, Johnson Smith met with the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of Ghana, Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong and expressed her desire to create stronger ties between Jamaica and Ghana for business, tourism, and cultural exchanges.
Johnson Smith also visited several government officials in eight of the African commonwealth member states, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda, to shore up support and share her vision for the Commonwealth. These African states are former territories of the British empire, that make up the political association of the Commonwealth.
In an official statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Johnson Smith expressed her vision for inclusivity, good governance, and technical cooperation among the 54 members of the Commonwealth, “In an increasingly challenging global environment, the Commonwealth must be visionary and responsive, recognising always the diversity of our membership, comprising states at various stages of development. African nations play a central role in determining the future of our Commonwealth and ensuring its shared values extend well into the future” she stated.
Minister Johnson Smith, in April, publicly announced Jamaica’s candidacy for Secretary-General of the Commonwealth. If successful, the Minister will replace Dame Patricia Scotland as the incumbent Commonwealth Secretary-General. The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is split in its support for the two candidates. The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting is set to take place in Kigali, Rwanda, from June 20 to 25, 2022, where a decision on the nomination of a Secretary-General will be finalized.
