The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has hit back strongly against comments from a US senator who criticised Ghana’s foreign minister over outstanding debts to American companies and taxpayers.
In a tweet that has since sparked widespread debate, the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee said Ghana’s Foreign Minister should prioritise repaying debts to American firms and taxpayers rather than making diplomatic visits to Washington.
“Instead of a trip to D.C., Ghana’s foreign minister should focus on honoring his government’s commitments to repay U.S. companies and the American taxpayers. We cannot keep subsidizing Ghana while it continues paying far larger debts to China,” the statement read.
But Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, fired back, describing the comments as “very rich” coming from a country that has yet to offer reparations for its role in the transatlantic slave trade.
“This is very rich coming from someone who refuses to engage in the same advocacy for the payment of reparations by the US for its despicable and condemnable role in slavery,” Mr Ablakwa wrote on Twitter (Formerly X).
He further stated that the United States had no right to dictate Ghana’s foreign policy decisions, invoking Ghana’s founding father and pan-Africanist, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
“You will not be allowed to dictate to a sovereign country on how we conduct our foreign policy — if you need to be reminded — this is Kwame Nkrumah’s Ghana — the first African nation to defeat colonialism and imperialism,” he asserted.
The North Tongu legislator acknowledged that Ghana does owe some debts to American firms but argued they are minor compared to what he described as “the far greater historical debt” owed by the US to Africa in the form of reparations.
“Those measly debts, compared to what you owe us in reparations, would be paid when we deem appropriate based on our prudent economic recovery program — even though the debt was not created by the new Mahama administration,” Mr Ablakwa added.
The exchange comes at a time of heightened sensitivity around Ghana’s debt management, diplomatic relationships, and ongoing discussions about neocolonial economic structures in Africa.
Neither Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs nor the US Embassy in Accra has officially responded to the online back-and-forth.
