Foreign Office Minister Lord Ahmad represented the UK Government at the funeral of former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in Ghana on 13 September.
The Minister of State for the United Nations (UN) and Commonwealth has led UK tributes at the funeral of former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.
Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon joined His Excellency President Akufo-Addo of Ghana and world leaders at the funeral, held in Accra, where he conveyed condolences on behalf of the UK Government.
Lord Ahmad said:
The whole world has come together to mourn the loss of Kofi Annan. I am honoured to have represented the UK Government and the British people to pay our deep respects. He has left behind an incredible legacy, particularly his work on human rights and justice at the UN.
Whilst in Ghana, Lord Ahmad met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Shirley Botchway. They discussed a number of issues in UK-Ghana relations, including our countries’ visions for the Commonwealth and priority issues for this month’s UN General Assembly. Lord Ahmad also met with Minister of Defence Dominic Nitiwul on regional security and met with Ghana’s new Electoral Commissioner Jean Mensa to hear about Ghana’s preparations for future elections.
Lord Ahmad visited a UK-supported workshop with Ghanaian law enforcement agencies involved in tackling Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking, seeing the practical cooperation between the UK and Ghana, that is helping to bring perpetrators to justice and protect vulnerable people. He also paid a visit to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission in Ghana, reflecting on Ghana’s reputation for religious coexistence and his priorities as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief.
