Ramses Cleland

Ramses Joseph Cleland
Chief Director, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration
In office
2021–2025
PresidentNana Akufo-Addo
John Mahama
Preceded byAlbert Francis Yankey
Succeeded byKhadija Iddrisu [1]
Ambassador of Ghana to Switzerland
In office
September 2017 – 2021
PresidentNana Akufo-Addo
Preceded bySammie Pesky Eddico
Succeeded byEmmanuel Kwame Asiedu Antwi
Permanent Representative of Ghana to the United Nations Office at Geneva
In office
24 November 2017 – 2021
PresidentNana Akufo-Addo
Preceded byMartha Ama Akyaa Pobee
Succeeded byEmmanuel Kwame Asiedu Antwi
Ambassador of Ghana to Austria
In office
2018–2020
PresidentNana Akufo-Addo
Preceded bySammie Pesky Eddico (concurrently with Switzerland)
Succeeded byPhilbert Johnson
Personal details
BornRamses Joseph Cleland
(1963-08-25) August 25, 1963
Cairo, Egypt
CitizenshipGhanaian
Alma materUniversity of Ghana
University of London
BPP Law School
OccupationCareer diplomat

Ramses Joseph Cleland (born 25 August 1963) is a Ghanaian diplomat, lawyer, and government official. He served as Ghana’s Ambassador to Switzerland and concurrently as Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva from 2017 to 2021, and as Ambassador to Austria from 2018 to 2020. He later served as Chief Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration from 2021 to 2025, the highest-ranking civil servant position in the ministry.

Early life and education

Ramses Joseph Cleland was born on 25 August 1963 in Cairo, Egypt.[2]

He received his secondary education at Accra Academy and his tertiary education at the University of Ghana in Accra, Ghana.[3] He later pursued legal education in the United Kingdom, obtaining a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from the University of London and BPP School of Law, London.[2] He was called to the Ghanaian bar in 2017.[4]

Career

Cleland joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of Ghana in 1989.

Between 1996 and 2000, he was posted to the Embassy of Ghana in Paris, France, where he served as Head of Chancery and Counsellor for Political and Economic Affairs.[5][6][7] From 2002 to 2003, he served as Counsellor at the Embassy of Ghana in Brasília, Brazil. He was subsequently appointed Head of Chancery at the Embassy of Ghana in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, where he served from 2003 to 2006.[2]

From 2007 to 2008, Cleland served as a Research Assistant at the office of the Chairman of the African Union Commission, President John Agyekum Kufuor, President of Ghana. He later played a significant role in Ghana’s diplomatic expansion in Europe by opening Ghana’s Embassy in Dublin, Ireland, where he served as Chargé d’Affaires from 2008 to 2009.[2]

Between 2009 and 2012, he was posted to the Ghana High Commission in London, serving as Head of the Political Section. He returned to Accra in 2013 and was appointed Director of the Europe Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, a position he held until 2016. From 2016 to 2017, he served as Acting Head of Mission at the Embassy of Ghana in Lomé, Togo, prior to his ambassadorial appointment.[2]

As a legal practitioner, Cleland founded and heads the Cleland Legal Pruc.[4]

Ambassadorial and multilateral service

Ramses Joseph Cleland presenting his credentials to Najat Mokhtar, IAEA Acting Director General, and Head of the Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria in 2019

In September 2017, Cleland was appointed Ambassador of Ghana to Switzerland, succeeding Sammie Pesky Eddico, and was concurrently accredited as Permanent Representative of Ghana to the United Nations Office at Geneva.[8][9][10][11] He formally presented his credentials on 24 November 2017 and served in that capacity until 2021.[2][12]

During his tenure in Geneva, Cleland served as the Coordinator of the ECOWAS group of Ambassadors in Geneva,[13] he also represented Ghana in multilateral diplomacy and international forums, including participation in United Nations bodies and international economic engagements such as the World Economic Forum in Davos.[14] In 2018, he was appointed Ghana's ambassador to Austria, serving concurrently in Switzerland until 2020.[15]

Chief Director, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Following the completion of his ambassadorial posting, Cleland was appointed Chief Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration.[16][17][18][19][20]

In this role, he led the maiden Ghana–Qatar Political Consultations held in Accra in April 2025.[21]

He also serves on the Ministerial Advisory Board of the Ministry and on the Governing Council of the Foreign Service Institute, contributing to foreign policy formulation and the professional training of Ghanaian diplomats.[22][23]

Personal life

Cleland is married and has four children.[2]

References

  1. ↑ "Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Republic of Ghana". Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration. Government of Ghana. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "New Permanent Representative of Ghana Presents Credentials". United Nations Office at Geneva. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  3. ↑ Office, Great Britain Foreign and Commonwealth (2012). The London Diplomatic List. H.M. Stationery Office. ISBN 978-0-11-591797-4.
  4. 1 2 "Lawyer Locator". locator.ghanabar.org. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  5. ↑ Office, Great Britain Foreign and Commonwealth (2012). The London Diplomatic List. H.M. Stationery Office. ISBN 978-0-11-591797-4.
  6. ↑ Guide du show business (in French). Société d'éditions radioélectriques et phonographiques. 1998.
  7. ↑ Bottin administratif (in French). Editions Bottin. 2001. ISBN 978-2-910179-14-4.
  8. ↑ "Ghana Mission News". Ghana Mission, Geneva. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  9. ↑ "Amb. Ramses Cleland, Permanent Representative of Ghana to Switzerland - Ministerial Conference on Marine Litter and Plastic Pollution - 1September2021 - Photo". IISD Earth Negotiations Bulletin. 1 September 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  10. ↑ "AMBASSADOR CLELAND HOST RECEPTION FOR MS. WINNIE BYANYIMA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF UNAIDS". Ghana Mission, Geneva. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  11. ↑ "Ambassador meets Swiss President". Ghana Mission, Geneva. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  12. ↑ "Reception After H.e. Ramses Joseph Cleland Presents His Letters Of Credence To H.e Doris Leuthard President Of The Swiss Confederation". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  13. ↑ "Ambassador Cleland assumes the position of Coordinator of the ECOWAS group of Ambassadors in Geneva". Ghana Mission, Geneva. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  14. ↑ "Ambassador joins the Presidential Delegation at the World Economic Forum". Ghana Mission, Geneva. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  15. ↑ "Meet the Ambassador of the Republic of Ghana to Austria: H.E. Mr. Ramses Joseph Cleland". Vindobona.org | Vienna International News. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  16. ↑ "Japan awards Ghana $2.6 million for Human Resource Development Scholarships". Daily Graphic. Accra, Ghana. 3 June 2025. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  17. ↑ "Ghana, Netherland sign MoU to deepen cooperation". Ghanaian Times. Accra, Ghana. 23 March 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  18. ↑ "Saudi Arabia donates dates to foreign ministry". Ghanaian Times. Accra, Ghana. 18 November 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  19. ↑ "Meeting with the Chief Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ghana". Representaciones Diplomaticas De Cuba En El Exteriors. 30 July 2025. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  20. ↑ "Peace is non-negotiable, prioritise it – Chief Director of Foreign Affairs Ministry". MyJoyOnline. 20 October 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  21. ↑ "Ghana–Qatar Political Consultations Held in Accra". Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  22. ↑ "Foreign Ministry gets new advisory board". Ghanaian Times. Accra, Ghana. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  23. ↑ "Foreign Service Institute Governing Council inaugurated". Africa Press. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
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