By Emmanuel Nduka Obisue
Ghana has formally declared itself a nuclear-weapon-free state after depositing its instrument of ratification of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) at the United Nations.
Foreign Minister Samuel Ablakwa, who announced the development in a Facebook post on Saturday, described the move as a bold demonstration of Ghana’s long-standing support for a world without nuclear arms. He commended both Cabinet and Parliament for their unanimous approval of the treaty, noting that the decision enjoyed rare bipartisan support.
Linking the ratification to Ghana’s founding ideals, Ablakwa recalled the role of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in convening the 1962 “World Without the Bomb” conference in Accra. “Nkrumah would be absolutely proud of this moment,” he wrote.
During the ceremony at the UN, the minister met with Melissa Parke and Seth Shelden of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), the organisation awarded the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize for its advocacy.
The TPNW, adopted by the UN in 2017, prohibits the development, testing, stockpiling, use, or threat of use of nuclear weapons. Ghana’s ratification adds to global momentum for nuclear disarmament at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions.
Nkrumah’s Stance On Nuclear Weapons
In his lifetime, Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, was an outspoken critic of nuclear weapons and their destructive potential. He opposed nuclear tests on African soil, describing them as acts of “nuclear imperialism” that placed the continent at risk.
Nkrumah advocated for Africa to be declared a nuclear-free zone and warned that atomic fallout knew no boundaries, insisting that the pursuit of such weapons endangered humanity rather than safeguarding it.
Speaking at the foundation of Ghana’s Atomic Reactor Project in Kwabenya in 1964, Nkrumah made clear that Ghana’s atomic ambitions were purely peaceful. He declared: “We have always stood for the use of fissionable material exclusively for peaceful ends. We consistently stood against the unnecessary proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and with equal consistency for the abolition of such weapons”.
