# Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (born 11 August 1980) is a Ghanaian politician who is currently serving as the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ghana since 2025. He has been a member of parliament for North Tongu Constituency in the Volta Region since 2013, elected four times on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress. He was a deputy minister of state under both John Atta Mills and John Mahama.

## Early life and education

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa was born on 11 August 1980 and hails from Aveyime-Battor in the Volta Region of Ghana. He is an old student of the Presbyterian Boys' Senior Secondary School - Legon (Presec-Legon) and also served as Vice President of the scripture union.
He attended the University of Ghana, and had a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Philosophy between 2002 and 2006. At the University of Leicester, he had his Master of Arts in Communication Media, and Public Relations.
Ablakwa also holds a certificate in Leadership from the Harvard Kennedy School of Governance, USA and a Master of Science in Defense and International Politics from the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College.

## Politics

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa is a Member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). He served as President of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) from 2005 to 2006, whilst he was a student in the University of Ghana. He was also a member of the team that drafted his party's youth policies in the NDC's manifesto for the 2008 campaign. He was a member of the Committee for Joint Action (CJA) a pro-masses pressure group. He is an Accredited Member (APR) of the Institute of Public Relations (IPR), Ghana.

### Member of Parliament
#### 2012 elections

Ablakwa entered politics at an early age of 28. He won the North Tongu seat in the 2012 elections by a larger number, representing 90.5% of the votes.

#### 2016 elections

He retained his seat once again in the 2016 elections even though his party lost the Presidential Elections. Since 2017, he has been a member of the appointments committee. He is also the Ranking Member on Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee.

#### 2020 elections

Ablakwa contested and won the NDC 2020 parliamentary primaries for North Tongu Constituency in the Volta Region of Ghana. Ablakwa won in the 2020 Ghanaian general elections on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress with 42,011 votes (89.71%) against Arku Richard Collins of the New Patriotic Party who had 4,312 votes (9.21%) and Akaho Raymond of the Ghana Union Movement who also had 505 to join the 8th Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana.

#### 2024 elections

Ablakwa contested and won the NDC 2024 parliamentary primaries for North Tongu Constituency in the Volta Region of Ghana. Ablakwa won in the 2024 Ghanaian general elections on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress with 41,033 votes (93.11%) against Dr John Saviour Yaw Eleblu of the New Patriotic Party who had 3,036 votes (6.89%) to join the 9th Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana.

### Deputy Minister of State

In his foray in national politics, he was a member of John Atta Mills's Campaign Communication Team until his appointment as Deputy Minister for Information at the age of 28, after Mills won the Presidential Elections. He served on Government's Transition Team as Acting Secretary. Ablakwa served as Deputy Minister for Education in charge of Tertiary Education under then Minister of Education Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang under the John Dramani Mahama Government.
In August 2023, Ablakwa claimed he is planning a massive demonstration in Ghana dubbed 'Enough of the Looting Demo'.

### Minister for Foreign Affairs

In January 2025, Ablakwa was appointed by President John Mahama as the Foreign Affairs Minister-designate. He was sworn in on 7 February 2025.

## Honours
### Awards

Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa has received numerous awards including the TNG Corporate Excellence Awards - Accra, 2010, Outstanding Youth Leader in West Africa by the West Africa Students' Union (WASU) - Kaduna, Nigeria 2009, Special Alumnus Award by the National Union of Ghana Students' (NUGS) - 2009, Old Vandal Award - 2008, Award of recognition by the Volta Hall JCR of the University of Ghana – 2005 and a special Fellow of the Private University Students Association of Ghana (PUSAG). He has also been honored by the Mepe Traditional Council and the Tepa Traditional Council where he is known as the "Mmrantiehene".

## Employment

Minister of Foreign Affairs, 2025 - Present (Government of Ghana).
Deputy Minister of Information, 2009-2013 (Government of Ghana).
Deputy Minister of Education, 2013-2016 (Government of Ghana).
Member of Parliament, 2012 - till date (Office of Parliament).
Saavi Solutions, managing director (2007-2009).
Chairman of the Board of Trustees - Ghana Christian International High School (2023)
Taught at Kwahuman International

## Personal life

He is married to Nuhela Seidu, daughter of Mumuni Abudu Seidu a legal practitioner and they have a daughter and a son. He is a Christian. He has an uncle Sam Okudzeto, who is the founder of Sena Chartered Secretaries Limited.

## Philanthropy

In August 2022, he granted a full scholarship to Samelia Mekporsigbe, an 8-year old class 3 pupil of Battor DA Primary School. She won the 2022 Volta Regional Competition organized by USAID Learning Initiative. She emerged as the overall best student at the circuit, district and regional levels.

### Akosombo Dam spillage

On 10 February 2024, Mr. Ablakwa inaugurated a safe housing project for flood victims who had been displaced off. He stated that the project, which was launched by former President John Dramani Mahama, will assist those affected by the Akosombo Dam disaster in obtaining a roof over their heads.
On 15 September 2023, the Volta River Authority (VRA) began releasing water from the Akosombo and Kpong dams as a result of a steady increase in the Akosombo reservoir's water level and inflow pattern.