Accra, Nov. 19, GNA - Heads of Ghana's diplomatic missions will meet in Accra November 20-24 to brainstorm on opportunities and challenges they face in their host countries with a view to devising effective strategies to meet development goals as Ghana marks 50 years of Independence next year.

A Foreign Ministry statement signed by Mr Sayuti Yahaya-Iddi, acting Director of the Information and Linguistic Bureau, said the conference is expected to adopt effective methods of utilising the impeding 50th anniversary celebration to market Ghana abroad. The conference is being organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Cooperation and NEPAD under the theme: 9350 years of Ghana's Independence; Foreign Policy Challenges and Prospects for Accelerated Development.

=93This year's conference is being organised at a time when the challenges facing the international community require constant consultation and coordination among the country's Ambassadors in order to sharpen their skills for effective implementation of Ghana's Foreign policy objectives, particularly in the area of economic diplomacy through the attraction of foreign direct investment.=94 The statement said the Heads of Mission would also be updated on government policies to ensure coherence in Ghana's foreign and domestic policies and that the meeting will also provide a platform to map out strategies for enhanced coordination and implementation of the country's foreign policy objectives.

The Ministry reiterated its commitment to managing Ghana's relations with other states and international, non-financial and trade institutions and will remain engaged in its facilitative role of ensuring international support and assistance for the national development agenda.