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Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister-designate, has unveiled plans to tackle the country’s brain drain issue, proposing a strategic approach to harnessing the migration of Ghanaian professionals abroad to solve domestic unemployment challenges.
Appearing before the Appointments Committee of Parliament, Okudzeto Ablakwa emphasised the government’s intention to formalise labour migration through bilateral agreements with Western countries.
These agreements would allow Ghanaian professionals and skilled workers to seek employment abroad while also addressing the country’s high unemployment rates.
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The Foreign Affairs Minister-designate explained that migration, when regulated, could be mutually beneficial, positioning Ghana to leverage the global demand for its professionals and artisans.
“We need to make sure that this migration that is going on in search of employment in the country is regulated, and it’s a win-win situation,” he remarked.
Ablakwa outlined his vision for pursuing aggressive economic diplomacy, aiming to create bilateral agreements that would provide employment opportunities for young Ghanaians abroad, ultimately leading to a reduction in unemployment.
“Under my leadership, I will seek to aggressively pursue economic diplomacy in a way that allows for bilateral agreements to be signed,” he added.
He further assured that the Foreign Affairs Ministry, under his leadership, would prioritise the issue of brain drain, turning it into a “brain gain” by creating jobs through strategic foreign policy initiatives. “Expect that one of our priority areas is to use foreign policy to solve unemployment. We’ll make sure that brain drain becomes brain gain where these bilateral agreements create jobs for the young people of our country,” Ablakwa declared.
The ministerial nominee pointed to countries like Cuba and Indonesia, which have successfully utilised foreign policies and labour exportation through bilateral agreements to benefit from the international demand for skilled labour.
With this new approach, the Mahama administration aims to create a sustainable and regulated framework for international labour migration, offering Ghanaians the opportunity to work abroad while also addressing pressing domestic economic challenges.
