The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has handed over diplomatic passports to the five Ghanaians it honoured for their dedicated services in promoting the country in their respective endeavours.
They are Berthold Kobby Winkler Ackon, a travel video blogger popularly known as “Wode Maya”; Grammy-nominated reggae artiste, Rocky Dawuni; Broadcaster and Entrepreneur, Anita Erskine; contemporary visual artist, Ibrahim Mahama, and British-Ghanaian entrepreneur, Dentaa Amoateng.
They received their passports during a short ceremony held in Accra last Wednesday night.
The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Dzifa Abla Gomashie, joined the ceremony virtually.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, at the launch of the 2025 Diaspora Summit in Accra on September 17, this year, announced that the five awardees would be granted a diplomatic passport.
Honouring heroes
Speaking at the event, Mr Ablakwa emphasised that honourees did not apply for or lobby for the diplomatic passports.
Instead, he said, the decision was made objectively by the ministry, in consultation with the Ministry of Tourism, to recognise their contributions to promoting the country’s image globally.
Mr Ablakwa emphasised that the selection process was free from political or partisan considerations, saying, the focus was solely on the recipients’ achievements and their impact on the country’s global reputation, regardless of the political administration in power.
“This is an entire country saying that it is time to honour our heroes,” he said.
“We want to also state that there was no political or partisan consideration at all.
We have not asked anybody to show us a party card.
We are not interested in that because this is about Ghana.
It’s about the flag of Ghana.
It’s about the image of our country. You have made us so proud across all regimes,” Mr Ablakwa said.
The minister indicated the list of recipients was not exhaustive and that the ministry valued the contributions of all creatives and innovators.
He said that the initiative should be seen as a starting point, with the possibility of recognising more individuals in the future who are making significant contributions to promoting the country’s interests globally.
Call to action
For her part, Ms Gomashie called on the honourees to partner with both ministries to continue to change the narrative about the country.
She urged the recipients to leverage their platforms to promote the country’s culture, arts and tourism industry.
Ms Gomashie emphasised that in spite of the country’s infrastructure limitations, it boasted of exceptional creatives which could drive positive change.
The minister affirmed that the diplomatic passports symbolised a shared responsibility to serve the country and promote its interests globally.
Appreciation
Speaking on behalf of the honourees, Ms Erskine expressed gratitude to the government for recognising their efforts and supporting their endeavours as they strove to promote the country.
Ms Erskine praised fellow recipients, highlighting their unique contributions in promoting the country’s image globally.
