The REAL Reason Ghana Took South Africa to the AU

Added: 2026-05-10

[00:00:00]After officially taking South Africa to the African Union over rising xenophobia concerns against African nationals, Ghana's Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, is now striking a very different tone.

[00:00:12]>> And we must begin to have more compassion for each other. And I feel strongly about this point.

[00:00:20]Particularly at this time that we are seeing another round of xenophobia rear its ugly head.

[00:00:29]Instead of escalating tensions further, the Ghanaian minister is now calling for peace, compassion, and African unity.

[00:00:36]What are we doing in Africa? We are saying Ghana must go. Nigeria must go. Go to where? Is this not our continent? Are we not one people? Are we not family? But then one question echoes in the minds of people, is he peacefully declining because of the response of the South African government or he truly wants peace? In this video, we break down emotional speech of Ghana's Foreign Affairs Minister, [music] Samuel Kojo Oppong Nkrumah. And all that you got to do is to like, comment, subscribe, and share the video. Now, let's get into the video. Guys, if you've enjoyed this video so far, please do me a huge favor and hit the like button. Subscribe. These videos take quite a long time to make. So, if you could help me out, I'll love you forever.

[00:01:18]Thank you all for your support. Now, let's get back to this crazy story.

[00:01:23]Speaking emotionally at the closing ceremony of the 2026 3i African Summit in Accra, Oppong Nkrumah passionately warned that Africa cannot preach continental integration while Africans continue rejecting, attacking, and dehumanizing fellow Africans. And in one of the most emotional moment of his speech, he compared Africa's treatment of African migrant, he compared Africa's treatment of African migrant to how Europe and America welcomed millions of Ukrainians fleeing the Russia-Ukraine war. Oppong Nkrumah questioned why Africans still struggle to show compassion toward fellow Africans on African soil. And his speech is now sparking major conversation across the continent.

[00:02:04]>> in made in Africa.

[00:02:09]And we must begin to have more compassion for each other. And I feel strongly about this point.

[00:02:17]Particularly at this time >> [clears throat] >> that we are seeing another round of xenophobia rear its ugly head.

[00:02:27]We cannot be talking about trading amongst ourselves, integrate when we are not welcoming of each other.

[00:02:39]When we believe >> [clears throat] >> that other Africans pose a threat to us when they come to do business in our countries.

[00:02:50]If it is the case that some guests are not following domestic laws, let law enforcement deal with that.

[00:03:01]Don't take the law into your own hands.

[00:03:04]Don't declare fellow Africans unwanted in your country. Don't be hostile to them. Don't dehumanize them.

[00:03:12]Don't assault them. Don't attack them.

[00:03:16]We cannot build that integrated Africa that our founding fathers dreamt of if we do not increase love, compassion [clears throat] for each other.

[00:03:32]We cannot achieve that.

[00:03:33]>> [applause] >> And my brothers and sisters, let's consider a recent development.

[00:03:49]So, Russia invaded Ukraine 4 years ago.

[00:03:57]The UNHCR reports that about 10 million Ukrainians were displaced.

[00:04:07]5.3 million Ukrainians had to flee Ukraine.

[00:04:13]Have you seen any Ukrainian refugee come anywhere?

[00:04:18]All these Ukrainians were accepted by fellow Europeans.

[00:04:25]Most of them in Germany, in Poland, in Czech.

[00:04:30]They were not only accepted and taken in, brought home.

[00:04:34]Their governments, European governments, came up with what they call special integration policies where they expedited their integration into their countries. So, they can immediately qualify for job placements, for social security.

[00:05:01]They accepted their own. You will not find, until this day, 4 years into that war, any Ukrainian refugee camp anywhere in the world.

[00:05:11]They have been welcomed, integrated, and fully assimilated. The US and Canada actually designed special visas for Ukrainians fleeing the war.

[00:05:32]What are we doing in Africa?

[00:05:36]We are saying Ghana must go. Nigeria must go.

[00:05:43]Go to where?

[00:05:46]Is this not our continent? Are we not one people? Are we not family?

[00:05:51]And after you've driven out all those Africans from your country, are you sure that crime rate will be zero?

[00:06:00]Are you sure that the unemployment crisis in your country will immediately vanish?

[00:06:07]No, it will not.

[00:06:09]Rather, our solution is more integration, to come together, to love each other more, to believe in our product, believe in our innovation, purchase our goods, merge, form partnerships, and work together towards the economic emancipation of our continent. That is what we should be doing.

[00:06:36]>> [applause] >> AND AS WE SEE THE incredible acceptance of Ukrainian refugees, and that beautiful story, the international community has forgotten that the biggest displacement is not Ukrainians leaving Ukraine.

[00:07:11]It's what is going on in Sudan, where over 40 million Sudanese are displaced.

[00:07:19]Have you heard any African country say that Sudan, Sudanese, you're welcome, come join us?

[00:07:25]We're coming up with special integration policies for you.

[00:07:33]The last time I checked, it was only His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama who sent special aid, relief items to the people of Sudan on behalf of the government and people of God.

[00:07:49]And he did not only do that for the Sudanese, he did that for the Jamaicans during Hurricane Melissa.

[00:07:55]Did that for the Cubans and also did that for the Palestinian people.

[00:08:02]>> [applause] >> Ghana's new foreign policy is consciously demonstrating to the world that you don't need to have so much to have a heart, to be caring, to be kind, and to have fellow feeling for our common humanity. You don't need to have excess. You don't need to have so much. All you need is a heart. All you need is to be kind.

[00:08:35]All you need is to have fellow feeling.

[00:08:38]And that is what this continent needs at this time. Not driving out fellow Africans.

[00:08:45]Fellow Africans are not the problem.

[00:08:48]What we need is a strategic leadership, the vision to integrate, to work together, to love each other, and to attain the promise of political and economic liberation. This comes days after Ghana officially petitioned the African Union over xenophobia concerns in South Africa. And South Africa responded strongly and anti-foreigner tensions continue dominating headlines across Africa.

[00:09:20]The government of Ghana feels very strongly about this. And we hope that moving forward, we are not going to see any xenophobia and any Afrophobia anywhere. And that is why Ghana has specially petitioned the African Union to take this matter up at its next media coordinating meeting to be held in June in Egypt. And we hope that African leaders will boldly confront this matter and that we will work together hand in hand to resolve our common challenges with love and not with hatred because hatred only destroys. Hatred does not build.

[00:10:07]And now after watching the entire video, what do you make of Fikile Mbalula's speech? Do you think he's gradually, I mean, backtracking from his point or you think he's still one of those points?

[00:10:17]Leave your comments in the comment section. That's all we have for today.

[00:10:19]Ghanaian government has actually written a letter summoning our government. You heard me correct.

[00:10:27]Summoning them.

[00:10:29]And I'm so disappointed in the South African government, but we have like very, very myopic government.

[00:10:38]But now, why would our government choose to make that man a victim of something that didn't happen?

[00:10:45]The Minister of Police, the Minister, an entire Minister of Police just issued a statement lying saying that there were attacks on Ghanaians.

[00:10:58]Mahomano What's his name? Mandela.

[00:11:02]Come here. Well, I don't know who she know.

[00:11:05]on two occasions.

[00:11:07]Second occasion or here say car They breach into the bank. They steal 1 million mana.

[00:11:17]>> [clears throat] >> Don't go here now.

[00:11:20]uh multi-party democracy Okay, he went to lots of places.

[00:11:27]They gave him good money as well as for his foundation. We could only afford 1 million.

[00:11:32]This lady has to be taught some history.

[00:11:38]Mhm.

[00:11:40]The Africans you are targeting today are the very people responsible for your liberation.

[00:11:51]It is It is It is It is us who came together, joined forces.

[00:11:57]Indeed, if you read Nelson Mandela's book, and I've brought a copy here, Long Walk to Freedom, the Madiba, Nelson Mandela, who led the liberation struggle in South Africa against apartheid, acknowledges the role of Ghana and many other African countries in supporting the ANC.

[00:12:31]Mhm. That led to the liberation of Jacinta and all of these people.

[00:12:37]And this is not how you show appreciation.

[00:12:41]Let me read from page 295 of Nelson Mandela's book, Long Walk to Freedom.

[00:12:48]When he traveled to Ethiopia to address the OAU in the early '60s, this is what he had to say about Ghana. Mhm. He said, "In my address, I thanked the assembled nations for exerting pressure on South Africa, citing in particular Ghana, Nigeria, and Tanganyika." You know, Tanganyika is now Tanzania.

[00:13:16]Uh Tanganyika and Zanzibar uh uh Yeah. merged to now have modern-day Tanzania.

[00:13:24]Who spearheaded the successful drive to oust South Africa from the British Commonwealth.

[00:13:32]This is Nelson Mandela addressing African leaders and thanking Ghana, thanking Nigeria, thanking modern-day Tanzania for the lead role we played in liberating our brothers and sisters in South Africa.

[00:13:54]After this address, Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo decided to tour the whole of Africa Mhm.

[00:14:04]seeking support because they had then decided that, "Look, the ANC must now move up in terms of its strategies. Mhm. It must now mobilize, form an army.

[00:14:19]They must escalate to boldly confront the apartheid regime because the massacre, the killings of blacks was no longer tenable."

[00:14:33]Where did they get their support from?

[00:14:36]African countries.

[00:14:38]True. And Nelson Mandela documents them country by country in his book.

[00:14:44]For example, if you come to page 300, he says, "In Liberia, I met with President Tubman who not only gave me $5,000 for weapons and training, but said in a quiet voice, 'Quote, Have you any pocket money?'

[00:15:00]I confessed that I was a bit low, and instantly an aid came back with an envelope containing $400 in cash.

[00:15:12]From Liberia, I went to Ghana, where I was met by Oliver Tambo and entertained by Guinea's resident minister, Abdoulaye Diallo.

[00:15:25]And he documents leader after leader in Senegal.

[00:15:32]He spoke highly of President Senghor.

[00:15:37]And he said in the end President Senghor furnished me.

[00:15:44]I'm reading from page 302. President Senghor furnished me with a diplomatic passport and paid for our plane fares from Dakar to our next destination in London.

[00:16:01]And this is how they left Africa.

[00:16:05]Ghana, if you come to the Foreign Ministry where I lead, we have a tall list of South Africans we issued Ghanaian passports to because they have been declared stateless.

[00:16:17]We had to give them aliases so that they can go around mobilize. It is really condemnable to see that particularly West Africans have come under another round of xenophobic attacks in South Africa. I also join you minister in condemning the recent xenophobic attacks of West Africans in the Republic of South Africa and urge that the South African government address this matter within the framework of humanitarian law and African solidarity.

[00:16:57]headquarters in those places. Someone says, "Don't tell us about Nigerians.

[00:17:02]You even go to an extent of saying Nigerians gave us money for our liberation." It's true.

[00:17:07]From their the civil servants of Nigeria moneys were deducted from them to support the liberation of South Africa.

[00:17:17]So, today we are in a comfortable place we say we don't want them.

[00:17:21]The warm welcome I have received from the government and the people of Nigeria and the faces of this crowd here.

[00:17:36]On my way from the airport I was met by thousands of cheering Nigerians which convinced me that I was not only among friends but I had come home.

[00:17:59]I was lost here in Nigeria in April 1962.

[00:18:10]Equally important as you know I have been in prison for 27 years.

[00:18:30]Many countries many countries many governments many organizations many individuals called for my release.

[00:18:51]Louder in that call was the government and people of Nigeria.

[00:19:06]I am here of the government and people of Nigeria.

[00:19:12]Nigeria has given us a lot of funds and material support.

[00:19:30]They have assisted us not only in the form of funds and in that respect they have been among the most generous donors to our coffers.

[00:19:55]They have also assisted us in the form of teachers doctors architects and if they have given scholarships to our children to study in the universities of this country.