History
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration was established prior to Ghana’s independence in 1957, with Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, then leader of Government Business, as the head of the External Affairs Bureau. After independence, he became the first Foreign Minister, while serving as Prime Minister. When Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s functions as Prime Minister became overwhelming, he relieved himself of the role of Foreign Minister and appointed a Minister to take charge of the Ministry of External Affairs.
Dr. Nkrumah also established an autonomous African Affairs Secretariat at the Flagstaff House to promote his Pan-African vision – a foreign policy issue which normally would have fallen under the purview of the Foreign Ministry. After Dr. Nkrumah’s overthrow from office on 24th February, 1966, the Secretariat was incorporated into the Ministry.
The Ministry has had various names throughout its existence although it has never ceased to exist as an entity within the Civil Service of Ghana. From its initial name as the Ministry of External Affairs, it became known as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs until 2006, when to reflect the importance of regional integration in the foreign policy objectives of Ghana, the name was modified to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, following its absorption of the erstwhile Ministry of NEPAD and Regional Cooperation.