Jamaican delegation on cultural visit to Ghana

A 15-member Jamaican delegation is in Ghana to explore business development opportunities, cultural exchange and tourism experience. 

The delegation, led by Franz Wiggan, Chief Executive of Maroon Ventures Consulting Limited, a business and tourism organisation based in Jamaica, said the visit was intended to create business partnerships between Jamaican and Ghanaian companies, while promoting deeper cultural connections.

As part of their tour of the country, the delegation yesterday paid a courtesy call on the Gbese Mantse, Nii Ayi-Bonte II, at the Gbese Mantse Palace in Accra. 

Strengthening ties

Mr Wiggan, speaking to the media at the Gbese Mantse Palace, said the visit was to allow Jamaicans to connect with their ancestral roots.

He said the group was working to bring Jamaican businesses to Ghana to create employment opportunities and stimulate economic growth.

The initiative, he said, was part of a broader effort to strengthen economic ties between the two countries, leveraging their shared history and cultural heritage.

Franz Wiggan said plans were also underway for a reciprocal visit for the Gbese Mantse and his entourage to Jamaica in October 2025 to provide an opportunity for Jamaicans to learn about their ancestral roots and cultural heritage directly from the Ghanaian delegation.

He said that cultural exchange would promote mutual understanding and appreciation between the two nations.

''The delegation is also working to increase tourism between Ghana and Jamaica, with plans to bring at least two large groups to Ghana annually.

Visitors will explore historic sites such as Cape Coast, Kumasi and Volta, as well as engage with local communities,” he noted.

A member of the delegation also noted, "It would be like your long-lost grandfather came and told you stories."

Welcoming the delegation to his palace, Nii Ayi Bonte said the history of the two countries were intertwined making the people of the same ancestry.

He said such visits were not only symbolic but also reflective on the bond between blacks on the continent and their brothers and sisters in the diaspora.

Nii Ayi Bonte explained to the delegation that Gbese, apart from being the Adonten of the Ga state, was also one of the biggest (and most important) clans within the state.

He said the numerous relics of the slave trade found in his traditional area demonstrated the link between his people and other blacks in the diaspora, including that of Jamaica.

Nii Gbese gave the assurance that his traditional area was ready to welcome their sons and daughters in the diaspora as well as offer them the opportunity to invest in the area.