Ghana
Key Facts
- Who. Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the department in charge of diplomacy, has approved hiring Ben Crump, a US civil rights lawyer.
- What. He is to help win justice for Ghanaians killed in the United States in recent months.
- Cost. Ghana’s Permanent Mission, its diplomatic office in New York, may engage him at no cost to Ghanaian taxpayers.
- When. The ministry issued its statement on Tuesday 10 November 2026.
- Open. The ministry has not said which cases he will take or what steps he will pursue.
Ghana’s government has approved hiring Ben Crump, a celebrated American civil rights lawyer, to help secure justice for Ghanaians killed in the United States. The decision, announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday 10 November 2026, comes after several deaths of people with Ghanaian ties in New York, Illinois and Georgia, which were separate incidents.
What Ghana Announced
In a statement issued on Tuesday 10 November, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said approval had been granted for Ghana’s Permanent Mission in New York, its diplomatic office there, to engage Crump’s services. The ministry said this would be at no cost to the Ghanaian taxpayer.
Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Ghana’s top diplomat, had a positive telephone discussion with Crump on the matter, the ministry said, and thanked him for his willingness to help. The ministry also acknowledged the cooperation of US authorities and the government said Ghana “will go every length to secure justice and safeguard the dignity of our dear nationals abroad.”
Who Ben Crump Is
Crump is an American civil rights attorney who has represented the families of Trayvon Martin, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. His name is widely known in the United States, where he is known for high-profile civil rights cases.
He has appeared alongside Ghana’s government before: the ministry says he was among civil rights leaders at a wreath-laying led by Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama at the African Burial Ground National Monument, a New York memorial to enslaved Africans, in March 2026. The ministry has not said which cases or steps are planned.
The Deaths Behind the Decision
The ministry’s media relations officer, Fred Duhoe, listed four victims killed in the United States in under ten months. The four cases are separate, and the circumstances differ.
Akpene Diamond Tetteh, 37, who had just completed a PhD, was shot dead in Savannah, Georgia, on 12 February 2026. The ministry said, citing her family, that one suspect was arraigned in a Savannah court on 3 March 2026 and a second is at large.
Dr Kofi Akamani, 48, a professor at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, a state university, was killed near Murphysboro, Illinois, on 19 September 2026. He taught forestry at the university.
A 15-year-old boy from Ghana, who had arrived in the US about a year earlier, was shot in the Bronx, a borough of New York City, on 29 October, near his school. His family hired Crump privately on 6 November, reports say.
Joseph Owusu, 24, a church organist, was found dead inside a large duffel bag in Canarsie, a Brooklyn neighbourhood, on 30 October. No cause of death had been announced.
What It Means for US Readers
For Ghanaian-Americans, the engagement means a prominent US lawyer may become involved in cases that touch their community. For the wider US public, the cases are a reminder that violence reaches Ghanaian families abroad as well.
Our explainer on the Ghana diaspora in the United States sets out where the community lives and works. Our Ghana explainer and the Ghana news page give the wider picture.
What Is Not Known
It is not known which cases Crump will take for the government, whether the other families have signed on, or what legal steps he will take in each state. We found no announcement of an arrest in the Bronx or Brooklyn cases as of 11 November.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Ghana hiring Ben Crump?
Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs wants help securing justice for Ghanaians killed in the United States in recent months. It says its New York mission is authorised to engage him at no cost to Ghanaian taxpayers.
Who is Ben Crump?
He is an American civil rights lawyer who has represented the families of Trayvon Martin, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Ghana’s ministry calls him celebrated.
How many Ghanaians have died in the US?
The ministry has listed four Ghanaian victims killed in the United States in the last ten months. Each case is a separate incident.
Which cases will Crump handle?
The ministry has not said. It has not named specific cases or described the legal steps planned.
Sources
Ghana Ministry of Foreign Affairs, statement of 10 November 2026 on the engagement of Ben Crump, and Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa’s public post of the same day, as publicly reported · Ghana Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Foreign Minister James Gyakye Quayson meets the family of Akpene Tetteh, 5 November 2026 · Ghana Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wreath-laying ceremony at the African Burial Ground National Monument, March 2026
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