Ghana's President Mahama on Official Visit in Jamaica
AFRICAN UNITYGLOBAL AFRICAREPARATIONS
KINGSTON, Jamaica - President of the Republic of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, arrived in Jamaica Sunday evening for a four-day state visit, received at Norman Manley International Airport by Foreign Affairs Minister Senator Kamina Johnson Smith. Mahama is a special guest of the Jamaican government for the nation's Emancipation and Independence commemorations, marking its 64th year of independence. He is expected to meet Governor-General Sir Patrick Allen and Prime Minister Andrew Holness, and will address a special sitting of Parliament on August 4.
Official engagements begin Monday with a welcome ceremony at King's House, followed by a courtesy call on the governor-general, bilateral talks with the prime minister, and a joint press conference at the Office of the Prime Minister. Mahama will then join the Reparations Dialogue at the University of the West Indies, Mona, alongside Sir Hilary Beckles, chairman of the CARICOM Reparations Commission, to advance discussions on reparations for the transatlantic slave trade, before closing the day at Independence Village, National Arena, hosted by Minister Olivia Grange.
The Ghanaian Presidency has framed the visit as a reflection of continued solidarity with its Caribbean partners, underscoring the enduring bond between Africa and its diaspora, coming after Ghana extended disaster relief to Jamaica earlier this year. As part of activities honoring the two nations' shared Pan-African heritage, Mahama is expected to lay a wreath at the monument of the Right Excellent Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey. The trip also coincides with a related gesture from the continent: South Africa's Deputy Minister Alvin Botes will visit Jamaica separately from August 4–7, representing President Cyril Ramaphosa at the independence celebrations.
Photo: Jamaica Observer