Ghana’s Acting Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr. Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, has been honoured with the prestigious Diplomatic Service Medal at the 2025 Development Cooperation Day ceremony in Seoul.
The event, held under the theme “Together for Global Prosperity”, brought together global development leaders to celebrate international cooperation. Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, Lee Jae-Myung, presented the award to Dr. Akoriyea in recognition of his outstanding and meritorious service in promoting friendly relations between Ghana and Korea.
Dr. Akoriyea, widely regarded as one of Ghana’s most distinguished health administrators, has more than two decades of service as a clinician, systems thinker, and reform-focused leader. His career spans major national roles including Director of Institutional Care, Clinical Auditor and Deputy Director of the National Ambulance Service, and now Acting Director-General of the GHS. He has spearheaded reforms in emergency and critical care, hospital management, patient safety, biomedical engineering, and health infrastructure expansion—initiatives that have strengthened Ghana’s capacity to deliver equitable, people-centred healthcare.
Internationally, Dr. Akoriyea is recognised for championing global health security, advancing digital health governance, and fostering cross-country cooperation. He also serves as the second Vice President of Neurosurgery in West Africa.
A landmark achievement in his career was his instrumental role in establishing the Korea Foundation for International Healthcare (KOFIH) partnership in Ghana. His diplomatic foresight paved the way for KOFIH to open its Ghana Country Office, now a robust platform for bilateral health cooperation. Through this partnership, Ghana has benefitted from flagship programmes in maternal and newborn health, biomedical engineering training, emergency medical services, disability-friendly institutions, and strengthened disease surveillance and laboratory systems.
Dr. Akoriyea has also been a strong supporter of KOICA’s development efforts in Ghana, collaborating on health systems strengthening, public health capacity-building, WASH in health facilities, digital innovation, and community-level health programmes. His ability to align national priorities with international development opportunities has deepened the impact of both KOFIH and KOICA in Ghana’s health sector.
His recognition in Korea underscores Ghana’s growing leadership in global health diplomacy. The Ghana Health Service congratulated Dr. Akoriyea, noting that his career embodies the spirit of shared progress and the 2025 Development Cooperation Day theme: “a commitment to working together for global prosperity.”
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