Mr Kabral Blay-Amihere, Vice President, Council on Foreign Relations - Ghana (CFR-Ghana), has welcomed the establishment of the Candidatures Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration (MoFARI).

He pledged the Council's support and continued collaboration with the Ministry on matters of mutual interest to Candidatures.

He said this at the official launch of the Candidatures Unit of the Ministry in Accra on the theme; “Advancing inclusive and sustainable development through quality Ghanaian Human Resource at the international level”.

MoFARI is the primary organ of State charged with the management and comprehensive coordination of the interaction with States and all multilateral organisations of which Ghana is a member, party or observer.

Consequently, the Candidatures Unit, which was established in September 2020, is tasked to ensure a comprehensive and coordinated approach to the management of candidatures for all international organisations and regional bodies of which Ghana is a member.

The purpose of the Unit is to ensure the full representation of Ghana in international bodies in three broad categories, namely: elected country positions, elected or appointed national expert position, and competitive recruitment into international organisations and regional bodies.

The Unit provides strategic focus to candidatures, facilitates the recruitment of Ghanaians into international organisations and leverages candidatures as a strategic tool in Ghana’s diplomacy.

Mr Blay-Amihere made a proposal for the compilation of a data base of present and past Ghanaian international civil servants and professionals whose vast and varied experience can be tapped by Ghana.

"In our view the establishment of the Candidatures Unit will go a long way to promote full representation of Ghana in international and regional bodies and ensure that more qualified Ghanaians are assisted and afforded the opportunity to serve the international community at all levels through the work of the unit," he said.

He said that this initiative happening during the Presidency of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo should not be a surprise since President Akufo-Addo in his time as Foreign Minister experienced the challenges of seeking representation on international and regional bodies without the benefit of a comprehensive coordinated effort.

Adding that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs could take pride in its role over the years in promoting the candidature of many top Ghanaian international civil servants, notably the historic election of the late Kofi Annan as the Secretary General of the world body, the United Nations.

He said there could be no doubt that the profile of Ghana’s representation at international and regional bodies in the past would have been bigger and broader if the nation had enjoyed the services of a Candidatures Unit at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Mr Blay-Amihere said the establishment of this unit in their view would end the ad- hoc approach of the past and replace it with a more scientific, data based and coordinated around the clock approach, for optimal outcomes.

"Since proficiency in several languages such as French is always an advantage in the competitive international arena, it is highly recommended that Ghanaian officials are encouraged to become bilingual/trilingual and proficient in official languages used at the international level," he stated.

Mr Kwaku Ampratwum Sarpong, Deputy Minister, MoFARI, said the Government of Ghana, under the leadership of the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, had championed the initiative for a dedicated structure for managing candidatures in a comprehensive and coordinated manner.

He said the Candidatures Unit was therefore, established to undertake the critical function of advocating and ensuring the broad representation of Ghana and Ghanaians in the staff establishment and decision-making bodies of the various organisations.