Minister for Tourism, Culture & Arts, Madam Catherine Afeku, has applauded Ghanaian beauty queen, Rebecca Asamoah, for her recent performance at the 2017 edition of Miss United Nations pageant in Kingston, Jamaica.

The 25-year-old queen, who made her country proud at the world pageant, placed second after beating several other contestants from over 80 countries to come close to winning the ultimate crown. Olga Makhlevskaia from Russia was the overall winner, while Rebecca and Mexican queen, Irais Carbajal, took the first and second runners-up respectively.

It is the Ghanaian’s third win in three years after she was crowned Miss Ghana 2015 runner-up and winner of Miss Africa Continent in South Africa.

She paid a courtesy call on the Ministry for Tourism, Culture & Creative Arts last week to present the crown to Madam Catherine Afeku, who disclosed that she was impressed with her performance which, indeed, raised the flag of Ghana high out there.

According to her, Rebecca portrayed and represented Ghana very well and as a result, Ghanaians should celebrate and support her efforts.

She also pledged her ministry’s support to any social responsibility project that she would embark on to better and help change lives of people from various communities.

The Miss UN grand finale was held on July 8 in Jamaica. It is a humanitarian pageant which helps to better the lives of persons around the world. It identifies and showcases world’s best tourism cause ambassadors, those who have the skills, talents and personalities best suited to promote their respective countries in furtherance of tourism, international goodwill and cultural harmony. Apart from a strong emphasis on goodwill tourism protection programmes and destinations promotion, the pageant also supports environmental protection via strategised programmes.

Rebecca is the first Ghanaian queen to take part in the pageant.