Mahama, Ablakwa accused of double standards over Western Sahara

A Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee in Parliament, and a Member of Parliament for Bosom Freho, Nana Asafo-Adjei, has criticised President John Dramani Mahama and the Minister for Foreign Affairs Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, accusing them of gross diplomatic inconsistency and damaging Ghana’s international reputation.

The criticism comes in the wake of Ghana’s recent visa waiver agreement with Morocco, signed by Minister Ablakwa, which is expected to boost trade and tourism between the two countries.

However, the visit and agreement also signal a potential shift in Ghana’s stance on the decades-old Western Sahara conflict — a move that has sparked international scrutiny.

Morocco has, since 2007, advanced a Western Sahara Autonomy Proposal as a solution to the ongoing conflict, seeking to offer the territory autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty.

Under former President Nana Akufo-Addo, Ghana was said to have discontinued recognition of the Polisario Front and its quest for full independence for Western Sahara, instead backing Morocco’s autonomy plan.

Nana Asafo-Adjei, however, in a Facebook post, highlighted what he describes as troubling contradictions in the current administration’s position. He recounted that during his vetting before the Appointments Committee, Ablakwa openly criticised Akufo-Addo’s position on Morocco’s plan as “reckless and unfortunate.”

“Yet, only a month after assuring the Algerian government — a key backer of Western Sahara’s independence — that Ghana would continue to support the Sahrawi people, Ablakwa has now gone to Morocco to pledge support for Morocco’s autonomy plan,” Asafo-Adjei said.

He questioned the credibility and consistency of Ghana’s foreign policy under the Mahama administration, describing it as “hypocritical and embarrassing.”

“The international community is shocked. What has changed between April and May?” Asafo-Adjei queried. “How can Ghana tell Algeria one thing and Morocco another within weeks? This is not diplomacy; this is a national embarrassment.”

He further warned that such policy flip-flopping risks damaging Ghana’s credibility on the international stage and weakening its long-standing diplomatic ties with key partners.