Male, Maldives (CU)_ Kamina Johnson-Smith became the first female Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade in Jamaica, following her services as Chair of the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM); President of the Council of Ministers of the Organization of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS); and the CARICOM Council for Trade and Development.
The government of Maldives endorses the candidacy of Kamina Johnson-Smith of Jamaica for the position of Commonwealth Secretary-General. At present, she is the Coordinator of the African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) Group at the World Trade Organization in Geneva.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih made the official declaration, reaffirming Maldives’ support for the Jamaican candidate for the post of the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations. The elections are scheduled to take place in June 2022 during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali, Rwanda.
The president confirmed support for Johnson-Smith during a phone discussion with the Jamaican prime minister Andrew Michael Holness. Concerning Johnson-Smith’s Commonwealth Secretary-General candidacy, the Maldivian president told the Jamaican Prime Minister that Johnson-Smith is the most eligible candidate owing to her vast expertise and background.
With this, the president assured the Jamaican prime minister of the government’s unwavering support for Johnson-Smith. He also expressed optimism that the Maldives and other Small Island Developing States will be effectively represented at the Commonwealth during Johnson Smith’s incumbency. Additionally, the President of the Maldives and the Prime Minister of Jamaica shed light on the friendly bilateral ties between the two countries. President Solih also extended an open invitation to Prime Minister Holness to pay a visit to the Maldives at a mutually acceptable time.
