By Patrick Biddah
Ghana and Kyrgyzstan have committed to working together to push for reforms at the United Nations, including changes to the Security Council to give Africa a permanent seat.
The commitment was made at the close of the maiden political consultations between Ghana and Kyrgyzstan on October 1, 2026, with both sides describing the issue as part of a broader strategic partnership based on shared interests and mutual support.
Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said the two countries’ decision to work together was informed by the reciprocal support they had provided each other in international affairs.
Mr. Ablakwa said Kyrgyzstan gave Ghana significant support in securing the historic UN resolution that declared the transatlantic slave trade the worst crime against humanity.
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Ghana, he noted, subsequently supported Kyrgyzstan’s bid for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council, helping mobilise African support for its candidature. Kyrgyzstan secured more than 140 votes from UN member states.
The Ghanaian Foreign Affairs Minister, who became the first African Foreign Affairs Minister to visit Kyrgyzstan in March this year, said the two countries now had an opportunity to deepen their cooperation as their respective international responsibilities converge.
Kyrgyzstan will begin its first term on the UN Security Council in January 2027, while Ghana is also expected to assume the chairmanship of the African Union during the same month.
Mr. Ablakwa said the coincidence presented an important opportunity for Ghana and Kyrgyzstan to work closely on peace and security, particularly on efforts to strengthen African-led peace initiatives.
He pointed specifically to UN Security Council Resolution 2719, which seeks to mobilise UN financing to support African-led peace operations, saying Kyrgyzstan’s presence on the Council would be important to Ghana as it leads the African Union.
“And so it’s quite fortuitous that you are going on the Security Council in January, the same month next year that Ghana is also going to chair the African Union,” Mr. Ablakwa said, describing the development as a “strategic partnership.”
He also expressed the hope that Kyrgyzstan would establish a diplomatic mission in Accra, following its missions in Addis Ababa and Cairo, which would make Ghana its third diplomatic presence in Africa.
In his remarks , Kyrgyzstan’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Zheenbek Kulubaev, said the existing anomaly in the composition of the UN Security Council needed to be corrected, signalling his country’s support for efforts to reform the Council.
He said Ghana and Kyrgyzstan were increasingly strengthening and expressing their national identities at a time when “reglobalization” was becoming increasingly influential, adding that the two countries shared similar values and views.
“In this regard, I believe that as countries that share similar values and views, Kyrgyzstan and Ghana are showing each other strong and friendly support in practice,” Mr. Kulubaev said, expressing the hope of building a strong and lasting partnership based on shared values, mutual respect and common interests.
The consultations also produced concrete bilateral outcomes, with Ghana and Kyrgyzstan signing three agreements covering education, health and sports, further broadening cooperation between the two countries.
