The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has received the outgoing Chargé d’Affaires of the United States Embassy in Accra, Rolf Olson, on a farewell visit as he concludes his diplomatic assignment in Ghana.
Mr. Olson has led the US Embassy’s operations in Accra since the departure of former US Ambassador Virginia Palmer in July 2025, overseeing Washington’s diplomatic representation in Ghana in the absence of a substantive ambassador.
Virginia Palmer served as the United States Ambassador to Ghana from June 2022 until May 28, 2025, when she concluded her three-year diplomatic tour and retired after 39 years in the US Foreign Service.
Following her departure, Deputy Chief of Mission Rolf Olson assumed the role of Chargé d’Affaires ad interim on May 29, 2025, overseeing the Embassy’s operations and representing Washington in Accra in the absence of a substantive ambassado
At the meeting, Mr Ablakwa described Mr Olson as an “incredible friend to Ghana”, highlighting key diplomatic achievements during his tenure as well as areas where the two countries held differing positions.
Among the notable achievements, the Minister cited negotiations with US authorities in Washington that secured the reversal of visa restrictions imposed on Ghana under President Donald Trump, restoring five-year multiple-entry visas for Ghanaian travellers.
He also highlighted Ghana’s special dispensation under the US administration’s new tariff regime, the protection of the country’s textile industry through the extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), and cooperation in airlifting Ghanaian troops to Jamaica to support rescue and reconstruction efforts following Hurricane Melissa.
However, Ablakwa acknowledged that the relationship was not without disagreements, citing Ghana’s rejection of a proposed US health cooperation agreement over concerns about the sharing of sensitive health data and provisions affecting the country’s regulatory authority.
He also recalled Ghana’s position on reparatory justice, particularly its leadership of the UN resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade the gravest crime against humanity, which the United States opposed alongside two other countries.
“Ghana and the US do not always agree on all matters such as our recent disapproval of the US health pact and our principled position on reparatory justice. However, we deeply value our ancestral friendship and solidarity,” he stated.
The Minister further disclosed that Mr Olson briefed him on developments surrounding the investigation into the killing of 15-year-old Ghanaian teenager Javits Frimpong in the Bronx, New York. He reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to working with US authorities to ensure justice for the teenager, who was fatally shot while on his way to school in October 2026.
Mr Ablakwa also commended the US Embassy in Accra, President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani for their assistance in securing visas for Javits’ mother and cousin to travel to the United States. Mayor Mamdani had publicly announced that President Trump agreed to grant an immediate visa to the teenager’s mother to enable her to travel from Ghana and say goodbye to her son.
Despite the differences, Mr Ablakwa said Ghana continued to value its longstanding relationship with the United States, adding that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ghana’s diplomatic missions would remain committed to protecting the welfare and dignity of Ghanaians abroad.
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