Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has firmly denied claims circulating among sections of the public that he has awarded a US$5.2 million contract to renovate Ghana’s embassy in Benin.
Mr. Ablakwa described the allegations as baseless and urged the public to treat them with the utmost contempt.
He emphasized that no such contract has been awarded, either in Benin or elsewhere.
“Treat with utter contempt the false claims that I have awarded a renovation contract for our embassy in Benin at a cost of US$5.2million,” the minister stated in a Facebook post on Monday, September 8, 2025.
Clarifying his record since assuming office, Mr. Ablakwa asserted that he has not awarded a single embassy renovation or construction contract. “Let me be clear – not a single embassy renovation or construction contract has been awarded by me since i became Foreign Minister.”
Instead, he highlighted his commitment to fiscal responsibility, citing the cancellation of a US$3.5 million single-source contract intended for the renovation of Ghana’s embassy in Abidjan. That contract, he noted, had been awarded on November 7, 2024, prior to his tenure.
“I shall never betray the trust of the Ghanaian people,” Ablakwa affirmed, pledging continued dedication to “integrity” and the advancement of “President Mahama’s ‘Reset Agenda.”
