MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND FOREIGN TRAD
2 Port Royal Street, Kington
MEDIA RELEASE
June 3, 2026
Jamaica, Ghana Set New Course for Cooperation After Two Decadesand
Foreign Minister Senator the Honourable Kamina Johnson Smith says Jamaica and Ghana have renewed their formal cooperation agenda after more than two decades, with the resumption of the Permanent Joint Commission for Cooperation which advanced work in health, defence, trade, air services, culture and education.
The Third Session of the Commission concluded in Accra on Tuesday, 26 May 2026, with the signing of two Memoranda of Understanding for Cooperation in health and defence. The Agreements were signed by Minister
Johnson Smith explains that the renewed Commission gives both countries a stronger basis for cooperation. “Jamaica and Ghana have returned to this mechanism with renewed purpose. After more than two decades, this Commission gives us the structure to move from shared history and goodwill to work that can deliver for our people”, she said.
“The agreements signed in health and defence give practical expression to that intent, from the recruitment of Ghanaian health professionals and knowledge transfer in the health sector, to disaster response, military engineering, maritime security and cooperation against transnational threats”, Johnson Smith added.
“The discussions here centre on efforts to build convergence around key elements of a potential Ministerial outcome, including the future of the longstanding moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions and the direction of the WTO’s Work Programme on E-Commerce. These issues continue to retain elements of deep divide among Members, with differing views on digital trade governance, development implications and policy space for emerging economies. In my role as Facilitator, I have been working to advance discussions and consultations across negotiating groups to hear proposals, identify areas of alignment and narrow gaps between proposals, as Members work towards a possible consensus based outcome”, she added.
The recent signing was witnessed by Jamaica’s Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Honourable Christopher Tufton, and Ghana’s Minister of Health, the Honourable Kwabena Mintah Akandoh. Technical teams from both countries also participated in the negotiations, which were co-chaired by Ambassador Symone Betton Nayo of Jamaica’s Foreign Ministry and Ambassador Harold Adlai Agyeman of Ghana.
The Session concluded with both countries agreeing to pursue cooperation in health, defence, culture, education, air services, trade and investment. This work will also support the next phase of economic engagement between the two countries, by way of an Export and Business Mission to Ghana in July 2026. The mission is expected to be led by Senator the Honourable Aubyn Hill, Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce and will include representatives from over 38 Jamaican private sector companies.
Foreign Ministers Johnson Smith and Ablakwa are also expected to advance biennial political consultations between the two Foreign Ministries. The Third Session concluded four days of bilateral engagement in Accra, closing a twenty-year gap in the work of the Jamaica-Ghana Permanent Joint Commission.
While in Accra, Johnson Smith was joined by Jamaica’s High Commissioner to Ghana, His Excellency Lincoln Downer; Jamaica’s Honorary Consul in Ghana, Okatakyie Boakye Danquah Ababio; Jo-Anne Archibald, Principal Director of the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport; and other technical staff from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and the Ministry of Health and Wellness.
