GHANA HAS decided to close its embassy in Dublin due to pressures on the west African country’s national budget amid the global downturn.
The Department of Foreign Affairs was informed of the decision in July. It is understood that the embassy, on Clyde Road in Ballsbridge, Dublin, shut its doors last month.
Kodjo Wadee, chief director of Ghana’s foreign ministry in Accra, told The Irish Times the embassy had opened last November. Prior to that, Ghana was represented by an honorary consul here, and diplomatic relations came under the aegis of the Ghana High Commission in London.
The embassy was staffed by four diplomats, but Ghana had not formally accredited an ambassador prior to the decision to shut the mission.
Mr Wadee would not comment on the reasons for the closure, but The Irish Times understands that it was related to efforts by the Ghanaian government to offset the impact of the global financial crisis on the country’s economy.
Diplomatic relations with Ireland will again be the responsibility of the Ghana High Commission in London.
Ireland does not have a diplomatic mission in Ghana. Diplomatic representation for the country is handled by the Irish embassy in Abuja, Nigeria.
The cost of maintaining Ireland’s own diplomatic service has also come under scrutiny in recent months. In July, the McCarthy report on public expenditure recommended that the State’s network of embassies and consulates be reduced from 76 to 55.