A commentary published by MyJoyOnline says Ukraine’s president listed Ghana among 47 countries whose citizens are allegedly being drawn into Russia’s war, and asks why Accra has not responded publicly.
A commentary piece is pushing an uncomfortable question into Ghana's public conversation: if Ghana's name was raised on the floor of the United Nations in connection with Russia's war in Ukraine, why has there been no loud national debate about it?
The article, published by MyJoyOnline as a contributor opinion, centres on remarks the writer attributes to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the annual gathering in New York where heads of state address the world body.
What was said
According to the commentary, Zelenskyy told the Assembly that Russia is using citizens of 47 countries in its war effort, and he named Ghana among them. Other countries listed included Nepal, Tajikistan, India, Yemen, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Cuba, Belarus and Sudan.
The Ukrainian leader is said to have appealed to the representatives of those countries to protect their nationals, arguing that many of the people concerned were drawn to Russia through what he called "deception and tricks" before dying in combat.
The writer is careful to say the allegation should not simply be accepted as proven. The argument is that a claim of that weight, made in that forum, requires verification and an official answer.
The questions being asked
The piece addresses President John Dramani Mahama directly and sets out a list of questions: how many Ghanaians, if any, are involved; who they are; how they travelled; whether they joined knowingly or were recruited under false pretences for what they believed were civilian jobs; and whether any have been captured, wounded or killed.
It also asks what the government is doing. The author frames this as a matter of foreign policy and consular duty rather than social media chatter, arguing that if the claim is false Ghana should say so plainly, and if it is true, families of those affected deserve information.
Why the silence, the writer asks
Much of the online attention around Ghana's participation in this year's UNGA, the commentary notes, went to political exchanges, demonstrations during the President's appearance in New York, personalities, fashion and the running argument over insults in Ghana's new-age media. The Russia allegation, by contrast, drew little sustained discussion.
The author stresses what is not being alleged: that Ghana supports Russia's war, that every Ghanaian said to be fighting was tricked, or that President Mahama backs any recruitment.
What this means for Ghanaians abroad
For Ghanaians in the United States and elsewhere, the underlying issue is familiar: how well the state tracks and protects its citizens outside its borders, especially when job offers abroad turn out to be something else. Until the government or Ghana's Ministry of Foreign Affairs responds publicly, the figures and circumstances remain unconfirmed.
