Accra, Ghana’s capital city, holds about 66 Embassies and High Commissions. Most of these embassies are located in cantonments and in the Airport Residential Area, one of the top Accra neighborhoods.
In this article, GreenViews Residential will take you to discover 4 Influential Embassies and Consulates in Accra.
Brief history on diplomacy and International Relations
Diplomacy and International Relations have been very important to countries throughout history and by the dawn of the 20th century, took a new turn to become very pivotal in the day-to-day dealings and well-being of countries.
Arguably, the most important tools of International Relations are Embassies and Consulates; because of their representativeness, as well as their being a conduit for liaison and the reciprocity it suggests on a high level.
Embassies are vessels through which diplomacy is conducted. They are physical manifestations of countries abroad and are crucial tools in the field of International Relations.
Influential countries have embassies in almost every country and vice versa. There are also embassies to non-state countries, namely the UN and EU. Embassies can exist in even the most different and opposing of countries mainly because of how they are governed by International law – the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Every UN member state except for South Sudan, Palau, Solomon Islands has signed the convention.
Ghana diplomatic ties and foreign policy
Since it became independent in 1957, Ghana has forged close diplomatic ties with other nations with common interests. This has led to benefits mostly from easier and more fluid movement of citizens of both nations.
The broad objectives of Ghana’s foreign policy thus include maintaining friendly relations and cooperation with all countries that desire such cooperation, irrespective of ideological considerations, based on mutual respect and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs.
These diplomatic ties have led to cooperation and aid that have been beneficial to all the countries involved in the partnership.
Influential Embassies and Consulates in Accra
Embassy of the United States of America
Being arguably the most powerful economic and military forces on Earth, comes with its perks and nuances, and this includes having sworn enemies and close allies as well as those who fall in between.
The United States’ numerous interests and also, its cosmopolitan environment have afforded them the number one spot of having the most number of embassies in the world – about 271 embassies.
The United States of America established diplomatic relations with Ghana in 1957 following Ghana’s independence from the United Kingdom and since then, the US has enjoyed good relations with Ghana at a non-official people-to-people level.
There has been a lot of collaboration of the militaries through the US Africa Command as well as youth exchange programs, study abroad, and scholarship programs.
There have also been close relations between educational and scientific institutions as well as cultural relations between Ghanaians and African Americans.
The Chancery of the American Embassy is a magnificent set of buildings whose architecture evokes a sense of security. It is located in Cantonments between the roads of Fifth Link and Circular Road.
British High Commission
Ghana is a member of the Commonwealth and benefits immensely from that membership as well as contributes to the development of other commonwealth nations. Ghana has been historically linked to the United Kingdom for over a hundred years and despite it being tumultuous with the colonization and its aftereffects, Ghana has a very good diplomatic relationship with Britain.
There have also been multiple cooperation efforts that have culminated in the mutual benefit of both nations. The High Commission has been very instrumental in improving Ghana-UK trade policies as well as expanding access to markets for women.
There have been numerous scholarship and study abroad schemes that have helped and improved the human resources of both countries. The Chancery of the British High Commission is located at Cantonments along the Gamel Abdul Nasser Avenue.
Australian High Commission
Australia has the history of being the first foreign mission to be established in independent and democratic sub-Saharan Africa, which makes their relationship with Ghana a long and strong one.
Australia’s collaboration with Ghana is much more evident on the mining front. Australia’s investment in the sector is over a billion dollars and about 25 percent of Ghana’s gold production is managed by Australian Companies. Funding and creation of non-governmental organizations for social and research work as well as scholarships and exchange of knowledge and expertise have been some of the results of the partnership Australia enjoys with Ghana and vice versa.
Australians have a history in Ghana of being hospitable and nice people. The Australian High Commission in Ghana serves 8 countries in addition namely: Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, Burkina Faso, and Cote D’Ivoire. The Chancery is located at Cantonments along the Josif Broz Tito Avenue.
Embassy of Japan
Japan has had a very fruitful relationship with Ghana since Ghana’s independence and this cooperation has been strengthened by the opening of trade lines between the two countries.
Japan has heavily invested in the health sector of Ghana, notably with the construction of Ghana’s first medical research institution (Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research) which has the first of two Biosafety -3 laboratories which were constructed by the Japanese government and gifted to Ghana.
Through the Embassy of Japan, a scanning electron microscope was donated to the government of Ghana. The Japanese government scholarship has benefitted many Ghanaians immensely and the Embassy has built schools and helped refurbish hospitals. The Japanese Embassy in Ghana has oversight responsibilities over their relations with Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The chancery of the Japanese Embassy is located at Cantonments along the Fifth Avenue Extension road.
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