‘There’s a breakdown of trust:’ Ghana’s foreign minister criticises West for prioritising war over development

Ghana’s Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa on Tuesday (March 18) came down heavily on Western nations for funnelling funds and global resources to support wars and putting the pursuit of development on the backburner.

Ablakwa made these remarks while speaking at Firstpost’s IdeasPod as part of the annual Raisina Dialogue organised by Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in partnership with India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

The minister said the focus of the Western nations was no longer on achieving the goals of the G20.

Highlighting that “$380 billion” were spent on the Ukraine war in the past three years, the foreign minister argued the money could be used to “solve Africa’s infrastructure crisis”.

Ablakwa said G20 “was meant to champion industrialisation, create, economic wealth, and expand trade opportunities” but he complained the “lots of funds is being moved away from international development into the Ukraine war”.

It is all because of this approach that there is “a breakdown of trust” between African nations and Europe, the US and even the UN where vetoes are often misused, the foreign minister said.

‘There’s a vacuum in global leadership’

Ablakwa also batted for a stronger leadership role for African nations.

“There is a vacuum in leadership, trusted leadership,” he said, adding that since the Cold War era, African nations like South Africa, along with India, have championed the cause of non-alignment.

“There’s no winner in the war and that it’s better that we come together,” said Ablakwa.

‘External threats’

The foreign minister also touched upon the external threats looming large over Africa as he said “some actors were “taking advantage of a divided continent” using the divide and rule strategy.

“It’s always about our resources, it’s always about the uranium or about the gold, about the diamond, the bauxite, you know, the timber.”

He warned that African nations must position themselves in a way so that they don’t become vulnerable to these threats.

When asked about who these external actors were, Ablakwa responded by saying, “We have a fair idea of who they are, from slavery to colonialism and all of that Africa has been at the receiving end of all of these.”

He added that “neo colonial actors” would do everything to “divide our ranks” to exploit Africa’s resources.