No law has been violated in deployment of troops to Jamaica – Foreign Affairs Minister

Minister for Foreign Affairs Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has stated that the government did no wrong in deploying 54 military troops to Jamaica on humanitarian grounds.

The minority in Parliament criticised the government on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, for deploying troops to Jamaica to aid in the country’s reconstruction after a hurricane struck Jamaica.

The Caucus argued that the government ought to have sought parliamentary approval before deploying the troops, insisting that the government’s action violates the laws of the country.

Speaking in an interview on TV3 New Day’s The Big Issue on Thursday, December 18, 2025, the minister explained that Ghana’s foreign policy, since time immemorial, has been rooted in empathy, humanity, and compassion.

Ablakwa said, “There is no law of Ghana that has been breached, no constitutional provision has been violated, and we are well within our traditions, our conventions, and our laws.”

He stressed that the minority is only “criticising for criticism’s sake” and has been unable to point out the specific law the government has violated.

“To say that it is not right—it is so un-Ghanaian. When you are a minority, it doesn’t mean you should criticise everything. They are criticising for the sake of it.

“We asked them to show us any provision in the constitution; they couldn’t. We are not deploying troops for combat. These are troops on a humanitarian mission,” he stated.

He said the minority should be embarrassed for taking a position that he said “seeks to question Ghana’s compassion, Ghana’s love, and Ghana’s kindness in times of humanitarian crisis.”

He added, “I am very proud that we have a foreign policy that allows that even when the world is not looking and has turned away, we can reach out.”

The North Tongu MP revealed that the relief items donated to some countries facing crisis recently were mobilised from donors and not generated from the government’s coffers.