The Deputy Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament and Member of Parliament for Bosome Freho, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, has criticised the government’s handling of Ghana’s foreign policy on the Morocco-Western Sahara conflict, accusing the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and President John Dramani Mahama’s administration of inconsistent diplomacy.
Speaking to the media in Parliament on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, the Deputy Ranking Member expressed concern over Ghana’s recent diplomatic shift, particularly Ablakwa’s actions as foreign affairs minister.
He noted that under former President Nana Akufo-Addo, Ghana had imposed sanctions preventing the Algeria-backed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) from establishing a presence in Ghana.
At the time, Ablakwa, then the Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, described Akufo-Addo’s decision as “unfortunate,” “not well thought through,” and “alien to our international foreign policy.”
However, Asafo-Adjei said that after assuming the role of Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ablakwa visited Algeria in April 2025 and reportedly assured the Algerian government that the Mahama administration would support Western Sahara’s sovereignty in the ongoing territorial dispute with Morocco.
This stance, according to the MP, appears to contradict Ghana’s recent endorsement of Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara, announced on June 5, 2025, during Ablakwa’s meeting with his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita, in Rabat.
A joint communiqué from that meeting stated that Ghana considers Morocco’s autonomy plan “the only realistic and sustainable basis” for resolving the conflict, marking a withdrawal of recognition for the SADR.
Asafo-Adjei criticised this apparent policy reversal, stating, “That is not how we do diplomacy.”
He urged the government to clarify its position on the Morocco-Western Sahara issue.
“If, after some months, they have realised that the position Akufo-Addo took to support Morocco is the way to go, they should apologise to Akufo-Addo first.
“They should say, ‘We’ve seen what informed Akufo-Addo to take that position, and we support Akufo-Addo,’” he added.
He argued that the government’s shifting stance risks undermining Ghana’s credibility on the international stage.
“We cannot afford your inconsistency,” Asafo-Adjei stated.
The Western Sahara conflict, a decades-long dispute, pits Morocco, which claims the territory, against the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, which seeks independence for the region.
GA/AE
