President John Dramani Mahama has praised Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa for his “stellar leadership” in helping Ghana secure a landmark resolution at the United Nations General Assembly, despite intense pressure to delay the vote.
Mahama said the effort required strong coordination and resolve at a critical moment, noting that Ghana had to build “a broad coalition to get this through.”
He revealed that some countries, including partners in the process, urged a postponement, warning that the resolution risked failing without broader consensus.
“Even as I was preparing to travel, I received calls urging us to slow down… to delay… to tweak the language further,” the President said, adding that Ablakwa believed “the moment had come to act now.”
According to Mahama, on the eve of the vote, concerns about insufficient support persisted, but the minister insisted that “if we had postponed this resolution, I do not know when we would have had such an opportunity again.”
The resolution, which seeks recognition of the transatlantic slave trade as a grave crime against humanity, was ultimately passed with 123 votes in favour. The United States, Israel and Argentina voted against, while 52 countries, including the United Kingdom and several European nations, abstained.
Mahama described the outcome as a historic diplomatic and symbolic victory, linking it to earlier Pan-African efforts by leaders such as Kwame Nkrumah, Marcus Garvey and W.E.B. Du Bois.
“This victory belongs to all of us—but most importantly to those who were meant to be forgotten,” he said.
Ablakwa, for his part, said countries that voted against or abstained had “missed the golden opportunity” to acknowledge historical injustices, though he expressed optimism for future engagement.
Ghana’s success was built on extensive technical consultations involving experts and policymakers to refine the resolution and secure broad support, reinforcing the country’s leadership in global discussions on reparatory justice.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
