Key Facts
- The country Ghana, in West Africa, has 35 million people, about half Britain’s population, and a US$114 billion economy, under 0.5% of US output. It co-founded the Non-Aligned Movement of developing nations in 1961.
- Why it matters The US has restricted trade with communist-run Cuba since 1960; since 1996 only Congress can lift the embargo. The UN votes almost every year to call for its end.
- Why now The Trump administration has added a de facto fuel blockade and new sanctions on Cuba this year, and the UN’s annual embargo vote usually comes in late October or November.
- What happened President John Mahama urged an end to the embargo in Belgrade, Serbia, on 1 September, then repeated the call at the UN General Assembly in New York on 24 September.
- The numbers At the UN in October 2025, 165 countries backed ending the embargo, seven opposed it and 12 abstained. In 2024, 187 had backed it.
- What it means for you For investors and businesses, expect Ghana and other African governments to break with Washington more openly on votes like this, without cutting economic ties to the West.
- Still open Whether Ghana’s stance costs it anything in Washington, and whether support for the UN resolution recovers after US lobbying turned Argentina, Paraguay, Hungary and others to no votes.
This story is part of our coverage of the Cuba US tensions. Who backs Havana, the blackouts, the embargo vote and what it means for travellers are in our dossier.
Ghana’s President John Mahama has renewed the West African country’s call to lift the US Cuba embargo. He casts the decades-old restrictions as a breach of sovereign equality and international law.
In Belgrade, Serbia, on 1 September 2026, Mahama called for an end to the US economic, commercial and financial embargo on Cuba. He was addressing a meeting marking 65 years of the Non-Aligned Movement, and said unilateral coercive measures weaken the multilateral system.
A familiar call from the Global South
Mahama’s intervention in Belgrade placed Ghana firmly within a bloc of developing nations that has long challenged United States sanctions policy. The Non-Aligned Movement, founded in Belgrade in 1961 by states avoiding both Cold War blocs, remains a platform against great-power pressure.
Ghana’s position is consistent with its long-standing diplomatic ties with Cuba. The two countries have maintained friendly relations for decades, rooted in shared histories of anti-colonial struggle and South-South cooperation.
The embargo restricts US trade, investment and financial dealings with Cuba, and began in 1960 after Havana nationalised US-owned property. President Kennedy widened it in February 1962, and the Helms-Burton Act of 1996 wrote it into US law.
The US Cuba embargo and the great-power contest
The UN General Assembly has voted to call for an end to the embargo almost every year since 1992. Havana, backed by many developing states, calls it a blockade that punishes ordinary citizens rather than governments.
Washington treats the embargo as a central lever on Cuba’s communist government. Since January 2026, the Trump administration has added a de facto fuel blockade and new sanctions, most recently in September.
Mahama’s stance places Ghana in direct opposition to that United States position. It also signals Ghana’s broader alignment with Global South blocs that are increasingly vocal about reshaping the rules of international economic engagement.
Repeating the message at the United Nations
Mahama repeated the call at the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, 24 September. “Ghana reiterates its call for the immediate lifting of the decades-long economic, commercial, and financial embargo imposed on Cuba,” he said.
He also said the world must support Cuba’s “new Economic and Social Programme,” the Cuban government’s 2026 economic plan. Measures that inflict “collective economic hardship on ordinary citizens” run counter to human dignity and international law, he added.
Repeating the call just over three weeks later shows Ghana treats the issue as a priority, not a one-off gesture. The approach mirrors how African and Caribbean states use multilateral forums to press Washington on Cuba.
What Ghana gains and what it risks
Backing Cuba costs Ghana little diplomatically within Africa, where many governments share similar views on United States sanctions. It also reinforces Ghana’s credentials among Non-Aligned and developing nations that value solidarity against external pressure.
The risk is more subtle. Ghana maintains significant economic and security ties with Western partners, and openly opposing a core United States policy can complicate those relationships.
Mahama appears to be calculating that the benefits of Global South leadership outweigh any friction with Washington. The approach fits a broader pattern of African leaders seeking greater autonomy in a multipolar world.
The regional read-through for West Africa
Ghana’s stance reflects a wider mood in West Africa, where several governments are reassessing ties with traditional Western partners. Many African states see the Cuba embargo as a Cold War relic, and the issue carries symbolic weight.
For investors watching the region, the signal is clear: African governments increasingly take public positions that diverge from Washington. This does not mean a wholesale break with the West, but it does mean a more assertive foreign policy posture.
The Belgrade meeting, attended by more than 30 delegations, shows the Non-Aligned Movement still offers a stage for such statements. As great-power competition intensifies, smaller states are seeking collective weight in forums where their votes count equally.
What to watch next
The next test is the General Assembly’s annual embargo vote, usually held in late October or early November. In October 2025, 165 countries backed the resolution, seven opposed it and 12 abstained.
That was down from 187 in 2024, after US lobbying persuaded Argentina, Paraguay, Hungary and others to vote no. Washington shows no sign of easing, and only the US Congress can lift the embargo. For now, Mahama has placed Ghana at the centre of a debate on sovereignty, economic justice and the multilateral system.
The story fits a broader pattern covered in Africa: The New Scramble, as African nations assert themselves in a changing global order.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Mahama say about the US Cuba embargo?
In Belgrade on 1 September, he called for an end to the embargo and said unilateral coercive measures weaken the multilateral system. At the UN on 24 September, he urged “the immediate lifting” of the embargo.
When did the United States embargo on Cuba begin?
The embargo began in 1960 after Cuba nationalised US-owned property following its 1959 revolution. President Kennedy widened it in February 1962, and a 1996 law means only Congress can lift it.
Where did Mahama make his call to lift the embargo?
He made it in Belgrade, Serbia, on 1 September 2026, at a meeting marking 65 years of the Non-Aligned Movement. He repeated it at the UN General Assembly in New York on 24 September.
Why is Ghana taking a position on Cuba at all?
Ghana co-founded the Non-Aligned Movement in 1961 and has kept friendly ties with Cuba for decades, rooted in anti-colonial struggle. Mahama frames the embargo as a question of sovereign equality and international law, not a bilateral dispute.
Connected Coverage
Sources
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This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. How we use AI · Report an error
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