Jean Claude Galea is to be appointed resident high commissioner to Ghana, becoming Malta's first ambassador in sub-sahan Africa.

His appointment had been approved by the parliamentary committee for public appointments.

Foreign Minister Carmelo Abela had announced plans for the high commission in January, saying that Malta wanted to forge stronger links between Malta and the sub-Saharan region.

While there were already Maltese business people based there, Ghana’s membership in the Economic Community of West African States and the Commonwealth made it more appealing for the Maltese government to set up a diplomatic mission in Ghana, Mr Abela said. 

The Ghanaian government is pro-business and the country is politically stable, Mr Abela said, adding that the government is interested in looking into other “strategically positioned” missions in Africa.

President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca led a delegation to Ghana in July last year. 

The government is also appointing Vanni Xuereb as resident ambassador to Spain and Ray Bondin, as non-resident ambassador to Bulgaria.

Dr Xuereb is currently the head of the Malta-EU Steering and Action Committee (MEUSAC) while Dr Bondin is a former Nationalist MP, envoy to Unesco and manager, EU and International Programmes Office, Heritage Malta.