Foreign Affairs Minister Clarifies Absence from Parliament, Calls for Rescheduling of Question Time

By Joylinda Laryea/ June 13, 2025

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has officially responded to recent concerns raised in Parliament regarding the absence of the Honourable Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, from a scheduled parliamentary session to answer questions.

In a letter addressed to the Clerk of Parliament and dated 12th June 2025, the Ministry explained that it received the parliamentary invitation on 9th June 2025 at 15:04hrs  less than 24 hours before the scheduled appearance on 10th June. By that time, the Honourable Minister was already out of the country, leading Ghana’s delegation to the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Changsha, China, alongside members of Parliament’s Select Committee on Foreign Affairs.

The Ministry emphasized that the Minister was unaware of the invitation when the matter came up in the House and had not submitted any prior responses for printing on the Order Paper, as is the usual practice under parliamentary Standing Orders.

Reiterating the Minister’s commitment to parliamentary duties, the Ministry noted: “The Honourable Minister, as a Member of Parliament, has enormous respect for the leadership and its members and as such would not deliberately ignore the requests of the House.” It added that since his appointment, the Minister has consistently availed himself for such engagements and remains committed to doing so.

In a separate statement shared on social media, Mr. Ablakwa affirmed his readiness to appear before Parliament once duly notified. “For the record: I, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, had no knowledge of the parliamentary invitation... My high regard and utmost respect for Parliament and the Speaker cannot be questioned,” he stated.

The Ministry has requested a rescheduling of the appearance date to allow the Minister to respond appropriately to the questions posed by the House.