Mahama showers praise on Okudzeto Ablakwa on V/R tour

President John Dramani Mahama has praised Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, crediting him with advancing Ghana’s growing influence on the international stage.

Speaking during his tour of the Volta Region on Wednesday, President Mahama described the North Tongu Member of Parliament as one of the hardest-working ministers in his administration.

He said Ablakwa’s commitment and extensive diplomatic engagements had been instrumental in securing international backing for Ghana’s initiatives, particularly at the United Nations.

“Your Member of Parliament, the hardworking Minister for Foreign Affairs, I mean, being here I must tell you that he is among my hardest-working ministers,” President Mahama said.

He added that many of Ghana’s recent diplomatic successes were the result of the minister’s efforts behind the scenes.

“And every credit that I have gained on the international scene, it is he who has done the leg work,” the President stated.

Mahama singled out Ghana’s successful campaign for a landmark United Nations General Assembly resolution on reparations, saying Ablakwa led the diplomatic drive that won widespread international support.

“The UN resolution on reparations, it was him who did all the traveling to convince the 123 countries to vote for us,” he said.

The President’s remarks come after Ghana emerged as a leading voice in global discussions on reparatory justice for Africans and people of African descent.

Within the last two years, Ghana has played a significant role in international diplomacy by spearheading a historic UN General Assembly resolution that declared the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans and racialized chattel enslavement as “the gravest crime against humanity.”

The resolution has been widely regarded as a major milestone in the global campaign for reparations and historical justice.

Ablakwa has undertaken numerous diplomatic missions across Africa, Europe, the Caribbean and other regions to build consensus around the initiative.

His engagements with governments and international partners helped rally support from 123 countries, culminating in the adoption of the resolution.

President Mahama said the achievement reflected Ghana’s commitment to justice and demonstrated the impact of persistent diplomacy in advancing the country’s interests on the world stage.