Ramses Joseph Cleland

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.

He received his secondary education at Accra Academy and his tertiary education at the University of Ghana in Accra, Ghana. 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.

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. 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. He formally presented his credentials on 24 November 2017 and served in that capacity until 2021.

During his tenure in Geneva, Cleland served as the Coordinator of the ECOWAS group of Ambassadors in Geneva, 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. In 2018, he was appointed Ghana's ambassador to Austria, serving concurrently in Switzerland until 2020.

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.

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

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.

Personal life Cleland is married and has four children.