Victor Smith says US officials summoned him over Mahama’s reparations remarks
Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States says he defended the President’s position during a tense meeting at the US State Department following Ghana’s push for reparatory justice at the United Nations.
By: Ebenezer Adugyamfi & Emmanuel Ayiku for GhanaianNewsCanada
November 3, 2026
Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, Victor Emmanuel Smith, has disclosed that he was summoned by American government officials following President John Dramani Mahama’s remarks on reparatory justice at the United Nations, describing the encounter as a tense diplomatic engagement during which he defended the President’s position.
Smith made the revelation in an interview with Citi TV’s Point of View, explaining that the US administration reacted strongly to aspects of President Mahama’s speech on the transatlantic slave trade and reparations.
According to the Ambassador, he was invited to the US State Department after the United Nations General Assembly adopted a Ghana-led resolution on the trafficking and enslavement of Africans.
He said the meeting was led by a panel headed by the US Deputy Secretary of State, where officials questioned Ghana’s position and expressed displeasure over the President’s remarks.
“There was a reaction here on the reparation bit,” Smith explained, recounting how he was called to the State Department to defend the President’s statement.
He maintained that he used the opportunity to explain the historical basis of Ghana’s position and challenge concerns raised by American officials.
Smith describes tense exchange with US officials
The Ambassador said the engagement became heated, with officials expressing dissatisfaction that President Mahama had made the remarks while in the United States.
Smith said he presented arguments concerning the historical treatment of Black history and what he described as attempts to remove aspects of African American history from educational discussions.
He also questioned why President Mahama would raise the issue before the international community if Ghana did not believe there was sufficient historical evidence to support its position.
According to Smith, the discussion involved strong exchanges, including raised voices, as he sought to defend Ghana’s position.
He disclosed that immediately after leaving the meeting, he contacted President Mahama and the Minister for Foreign Affairs to brief them on what had transpired.
Smith further indicated that Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister subsequently summoned the US Ambassador to Ghana in response to the diplomatic development.
The US government had not, in the reports reviewed for this article, publicly provided its own account of the meeting.
The UN resolution that triggered the diplomatic reaction
The diplomatic development follows Ghana’s campaign for reparatory justice over the transatlantic slave trade and its enduring consequences for African people and their descendants.
On March 25, 2026, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution A/RES/80/250, which declared the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialised chattel enslavement of Africans the gravest crime against humanity.
The resolution was championed by President Mahama in his capacity as the African Union Champion for Advancing the Cause of Justice and the Payment of Reparations.
It received 123 votes in favour, while 56 countries abstained and three voted against it.
Ghana has argued that the resolution should provide a foundation for international engagement on historical injustices, including reparations, restitution of looted cultural property, education and institutional reforms.
The campaign has also received support from African and Caribbean countries seeking a coordinated approach to addressing the long-term consequences of slavery and colonial exploitation.
Ghana insists reparatory justice is about more than financial compensation
The government has maintained that its reparatory justice campaign is not simply a demand for direct financial payments.
At a press conference following the adoption of the UN resolution, Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa explained that the initiative seeks to address the continuing consequences of historical injustices through several measures.
These include compensation discussions, the return of looted African artefacts, educational programmes, research, infrastructure development and broader international cooperation.
In June 2026, African and Caribbean countries also endorsed a 19-point plan in Accra outlining proposals for advancing reparatory justice, including formal apologies, financial compensation, debt relief and the establishment of a Global Reparations Fund.
The initiative has nevertheless faced differing positions among countries, particularly over the legal and financial implications of reparations.
A sensitive moment for Ghana-US relations
Smith’s disclosure adds a new dimension to the international debate surrounding Ghana’s reparatory justice campaign and its diplomatic implications.
Although Ghana and the United States maintain longstanding diplomatic and economic relations, the disagreement described by the Ambassador highlights the sensitivities surrounding historical responsibility, slavery and demands for redress.
The development also comes as Ghana continues to engage international partners on the reparations agenda.
For now, Smith’s account provides Ghana’s side of the reported diplomatic exchange. Further clarification from the US government would be necessary to establish its position on the meeting and the concerns it raised.
