Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Jerome Walcott says that in an effort to expand Barbados’ diplomatic footprint, as part of the national effort toward economic reconstruction and business generation, three new missions will be established in the upcoming financial year.
He was speaking during a recent press conference where he highlighted the recent and proposed activities of the ministry.
“New diplomatic offices will be opened in Ghana, Kenya and the United Arab Emirates with the intention of expanding Barbados’ South-South cooperation, strengthening our global people-to-people contact, and also contributing to the national effort toward economic reconstruction, business and revenue generation, increased investment, and expanded trade in Barbados’ goods and services, including tourism,” he said.
He further explained the rationale for establishing diplomatic offices in Ghana, Kenya and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
“These new missions will be at the forefront of efforts to identify new and emerging sectors that can propel and expand the Barbadian economy, and also to strengthen, advance and diversify bilateral and multilateral action to promote Barbados’ interests globally. Since Independence, our mantra has been “friends of all, satellites of none”; it is now time for us to widen our network of friends, especially in the face of COVID-19,” Walcott said.
The Mission Office in Ghana, which is said to be the ancestral homeland of a large population of Barbados’ population, will be established in Accra.
In Kenya, the office will serve as Barbados’ permanent mission to the United Nations Office in Nairobi, which is the third largest United Nations Office in the world.
Source-CMC
