Mr. Ramses Cleland was born on 25th August, 1963 in Cairo - Egypt. He attended the University of Bordeaux, France from 1982 - 1988, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Public Administration, and then a Masters Degree in Administration. He also holds a Masters Degree in International Affairs from the Legon Centre for International Affairs (LECIA).

Mr. Cleland joined the Foreign Service in 1989 and has served in the Americas Bureau, Policy Planning and Research Bureau and the State Protocol Department (2002 -2004) as Deputy Director. At post, he has served at the Ghana Mission in Paris as First Secretary (1996 - 2000), at the Ghana Mission in Brazil as Counselor (2002 - 2003) from where he was cross-posted to the Ghana Mission in Abidjan as Minister-Counselor (2003 - 2006).

He has also attended a number of Diplomacy Courses including a Course in Cairo, Egypt from March to April, 2003, and a Diplomacy Course at the International Relations Institute of Cameroon (I.R.I.C) from August, 2004 to July, 2005.

He is married with four children. His pastimes are reading, listening to music and playing tennis.

THE POLICY PLANNING AND RESEARCH BUREAU

As its name implies, the Policy Planning and Research Bureau is the planning, monitoring and research unit of the Ministry. It researches into emerging issues on the international scene and prepares policy options for the consideration of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. It also monitors and evaluates the implementation of policy by Ghana Missions abroad and recommends policy reviews as and when necessary.

The Bureau also examines relevant domestic policies and advises on their compatibility with international norms and with Ghana's foreign policy objectives. This aspect of its work entails effective coordination with other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as well as civil society groups and non-governmental organisations.

OBJECTIVES

Specifically, the Bureau seeks to achieve the following objectives:
- Ensuring the development and periodic review of comprehensive and sustainable policies, plans and programmes to cover all activities of the Ministry;
- Developing and proffering advice as a basis for foreign policy reviews in response to changes in national priorities and new agendas in international relations and diplomacy,
- Ensuring effective coordination, monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of all policy decisions and programmes relevant to the attainment of Ghana's foreign policy objectives.

In drawing up plans for the Ministry, the Bureau is guided by the relevant provisions of Ghana's Constitution and other policy documents such as the manifesto of the ruling party, the sessional addresses of the President, and documents relating to major national issues such as the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (GPRSP). The Ministry assists in the development of strategies for the execution of the foreign policy components of the policies embodied in these documents.

The Bureau also collates inputs from the various Bureaux for the Preparation of short, medium and long-term plans and programmes for the Ministry's development and operations, including programmes for capacity building and performance improvement, annual action plans, and sectoral plans.

With regard to research, the Bureau collates position papers from the various geographic Bureaux on developments relating to the conduct of Ghana's Foreign Policy in their areas of competence. It monitors and reviews international developments and, where necessary, proposes policy options for the consideration of Government.

In the discharge of its remit, the Bureau maintains constant liaison with local and foreign institutions engaged in foreign policy debates, and constantly updates its database with new information on foreign policy issues.

The Bureau also provides selected data on Ghana's foreign policy for approved purposes, such as the briefing of newly appointed Ambassadors, Government delegations, Parliamentarians and political leaders, as well as public institutions.

Another aspect of the Bureau's research-related activities is its frequent liaisons with various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), as well as other stakeholders involved in the formulation and implementation of Ghana's foreign policy, with a view to obtaining their perceptions on the conduct of the country's foreign policy.

The Bureau periodically evaluates the performance of the Ministry and its overseas outposts for the purpose of assessing the operational effectiveness of the Ministry and the diplomatic Missions based abroad. The outcome of this evaluation exercise constitutes the subject of the Ministry's Annual Reports.