Major Diplomatic Move As Philippines Prepares to Open Embassy in Ghana

• Ghana's Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa met his Philippine counterpart on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York
• The two countries agreed to deepen trade and investment ties, including plans to establish a chamber of commerce and hold business fora in both nations
• Ablakwa also invited Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro to visit Ghana as bilateral cooperation advances

Ghana's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has held talks with Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, and both sides committed to strengthening their bilateral relationship.

Philippines to open an embassy in Ghana

During the meeting, Ablakwa conveyed Ghana's appreciation to the Government of the Philippines for its decision to open an embassy in Ghana for the first time in the history of the two countries' relations.

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The new embassy is expected to be established later this year.

"I have held an impactful meeting with the well-regarded Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, Her Excellency Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro, on the sidelines of the UNGA in New York.

I conveyed Ghana’s commendation to the Government of the Philippines for deciding to open an Embassy in Ghana later this year for the first time in our cherished bilateral relations," the minister wrote.

Beyond the diplomatic milestone of the incoming Philippine embassy, the two ministers agreed on a series of concrete steps to grow economic engagement.

These include plans to convene business fora in both countries and establish a bilateral chamber of commerce to facilitate trade and investment flows between the two nations.

In a post on his X page, Ablakwa confirmed that the discussions also touched on the movement of workers between the two countries.

"We also agreed to exchange ideas and expertise on labour mobility agreements," he wrote, pointing to a shared interest in structuring how workers from each nation can access opportunities in the other.

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The Facebook post below contains details of the Ghana Foreign Affairs Minister’s meeting with the Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro.

Ablakwa extends invitation to visit Ghana

Wrapping up the meeting on a forward-looking note, Ablakwa extended a personal invitation to Secretary Lazaro to visit Ghana, expressing optimism about the momentum building in Ghana-Philippines relations.

He said he looked forward to hosting her shortly as both sides work to advance their cooperation.

The Philippines has a well-established reputation for managing overseas labour programmes, making the knowledge-sharing component of the agreement particularly significant for Ghana, which has been working to formalise its own labour mobility frameworks in recent years.

Ghanaian Parliament holds meeting over narcotic bust

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Ghana's Parliament convened an emergency sitting on September 29, 2026, after the Minority Caucus petitioned for an extraordinary session to address mounting concerns over a series of high-profile narcotics seizures linked to consignments from the country.

The one-day sitting was triggered in large part by the seizure of close to 3.9 tonnes of illicit substances at France's Port of Dunkirk, discovered aboard a container that reportedly departed from Ghana.

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The incident has intensified scrutiny of Ghana's ports, cargo inspection systems and the effectiveness of measures designed to prevent the country from becoming a transit point for contraband.

Source: YEN.com.gh