A Civic Indictment of Dishonesty, Undiplomatic Outbursts, and the Reckless Hijack of Ghana’s Foreign Ministry by a Populist Propagandist, Unsuited for High Office
Presiding Authority:
The Sovereign Citizens of Ghana
Laid by: J.A. Sarbah — Civic Firebrand | Voice of National Conscience
Respondent: Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa — Minister for Foreign Affairs
Matter at Issue:
The weaponization of personal propaganda at the helm of Ghana’s foreign affairs, culminating in U.S. subtle sanctions and huge reputational damage.
CHARGE 1: IRRESPONSIBLE DIPLOMACY BY A FOREIGN MINISTER
Hon. Ablakwa, long known for partisan populism and sensationalist posturing, now occupies a sensitive foreign affairs portfolio. Yet when U.S. Senator James Lankford raised concerns over Ghana’s record on LGBTQ+ rights and press freedom, the Minister responded not with engagement — but with fire and fury.
“Racist, religious bigot and an anti-African imperialist who must be condemned by all.” — Hon. Ablakwa, X (formerly Twitter), June 2025
This unguarded public outburst violated international norms and reduced Ghana’s diplomatic voice to personal venom — a reckless substitution of populist outrage for sovereign statecraft.
Exhibit A: Official social media post containing language unbecoming of Ghana’s top diplomat.
CHARGE 2: TARGETING A STRATEGIC ALLY
Senator Lankford, a ranking member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, was engaging Ghana through legitimate democratic critique. Instead of diplomatic dialogue, Ablakwa launched a personal assault — and the fallout was swift and severe.
The United States imposed visa restrictions — affecting Ghanaian students, professionals, and diplomatic envoys — in retaliation for what it considered a “hostile deviation from protocol and principle.”
Contextual Note: Ghana previously enjoyed fast-track visa privileges with the U.S. — especially for education, medical exchange, and official travel. These ties have now been damaged, not by national policy, but by one minister’s unchecked mouth.
Exhibit B: U.S. Embassy Accra statement confirming the new visa restrictions.
CHARGE 3: BREAKDOWN IN DIPLOMATIC RESPONSE
Despite the gravity of the situation, no apology or clarification has been issued by the Presidency. Ghana’s silence is being read as tacit endorsement of Ablakwa’s remarks. This is a failure of executive leadership — one that hands over national diplomacy to personal vendettas.
Exhibit C: Government’s inaction and refusal to distance itself from Ablakwa’s remarks.
CHARGE 4: COLLATERAL DAMAGE TO CITIZENS
The real victims of this debacle are ordinary Ghanaians:
Students with scholarships now face visa delays
Medical professionals and sports delegations have been blocked from essential U.S. travel
Investors are reevaluating Ghana’s global seriousness
“My Fulbright scholarship may now be forfeited because I can’t get a visa.” — Kwame Asare, graduate student
Exhibit D: Testimonies from affected citizens and institutions bearing the cost of this reckless act.
CHARGE 5: CONSTITUTIONAL OVERREACH AND MORAL MISFIT
Under Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, foreign affairs are the prerogative of the President. Ablakwa had no mandate to unilaterally launch Ghana into a diplomatic crisis. What we witnessed was a constitutional hijack — the intrusion of personal ideology into a domain that demands institutional discipline.
His track record as a propagandist, peddler of half-truths, and fire-starter is well known. This is not a diplomat — this is a liability in a suit.
Exhibit E: Ghana Constitution, Chapter 8, Article 75 — Presidential authority in foreign relations.
CHARGE 6: POLITICIZATION OF GHANA’S GLOBAL VOICE
Ablakwa has never shed his partisan stripes. His tenure has blurred the line between government policy and party propaganda, undermining Ghana’s non-partisan voice in the global arena. Our foreign ministry is now viewed less as a professional body and more as an extension of NDC rhetoric.
Exhibit F: Ablakwa’s documented history of political fabrication, misinformation, and rhetorical aggression.
CIVIC VERDICT: A MINISTERIAL LIABILITY WITH GLOBAL COST
This is not diplomacy. It is reckless governance cloaked in patriotism and driven by unchecked ego. This is not freedom of speech. It is the collapse of foreign policy discipline — and it comes at a cost:
A battered reputation
Sanctioned mobility
Eroded goodwill
Damaged opportunity
Hon. Ablakwa is not Ghana’s diplomat-in-chief. His credentials are not in diplomacy, but in domestic provocation. The world sees this. So must we.
RECOMMENDED ACTIONS:
A formal apology and diplomatic repair with U.S. officials
Immediate review and reassignment of the Okudjeto Ablakwa from the Foreign Affairs Ministry
Structural reforms to separate party rhetoric from official international communication
FINAL WORD
Ghana’s standing on the global stage is too precious to be hijacked by personality politics. Our diplomacy must be rooted in principle, prudence, and protocol — not pride.
Ablakwa’s post is still online. Ghana’s visa privilege is not. This isn’t diplomacy — it’s damage in progress.
— J.A. Sarbah
Civic Firebrand | Voice of National Conscience
THE ABLANKWA DOCTRINE: HOW A POPULIST MINISTER IGNITED GHANA’S WORST DIPLOMATIC BRAWL
