A high-level cultural and diplomatic engagement has taken place at the Okuapehene’s Palace in Akropong-Akuapem, where Jamaica’s Foreign Affairs Minister and Diaspora Queen Mother of Tourism, Ohemea Abena Otwiwa Asiedu, paid a courtesy call on the Okuapehene, Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akuffo III.
The visit, held at the Okuapehene Palace, formed part of preparations toward the 200th anniversary celebration of the Odwira Festival and efforts to deepen cultural and tourism cooperation between Ghana and Jamaica.
A mini-durbar organised by chiefs and residents of Okuapemman welcomed the Jamaican minister, who is also known in private life as Kamina Johnson Smith, the country’s Foreign Affairs Minister. Discussions focused on strengthening cultural exchange, tourism promotion, and broader diplomatic and trade relations between the two nations.
She noted that engagements had already been held with Ghana’s tourism authorities and that further talks were planned with both the Foreign Affairs and Tourism Ministries to expand bilateral cooperation. She also pledged to use her dual roles to promote tourism development and cultural connection between Akuapem and the Caribbean diaspora.
In response, Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akuffo III praised the visit and encouraged stronger diaspora participation in Akuapem’s cultural heritage, describing the area as a shared ancestral home for people of African descent in the Caribbean.
He extended an invitation to Jamaicans and the wider diaspora to take part in the upcoming 200th Odwira Festival, stressing that the celebration carries historical significance beyond Ghana. He also expressed hope that a planned royal visit to Jamaica, previously delayed by flooding, would be rescheduled.
As part of the visit, the Okuapehene presented symbolic gifts including fugu and traditional beads, alongside a commemorative magazine on Odwira activities and an invitation for the minister to join the festival’s planning committee, reinforcing the growing cultural bridge between Ghana and Jamaica.
