Faith Nyasuguta
Ghana has confirmed that at least 55 of its citizens have died in the Russia-Ukraine war – the highest officially acknowledged death toll from any single African country in the conflict so far.
Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa disclosed the figures during a visit to Kyiv, describing them as “depressing and frightening.” Citing Ukrainian authorities, he said approximately 272 Ghanaians are believed to have been drawn into the war since 2022.
“These are not just numbers,” Ablakwa said. “They represent human lives – the hopes of families and our nation.”
He did not specify which side the deceased had fought for. However, Ukrainian officials have repeatedly stated that thousands of foreign nationals – including more than 1,700 individuals from 36 African countries, have been recruited to fight for Russia.
The Ghanaian figure of 55 deaths stands out because it is officially confirmed. In Cameroon, local media have reported 94 nationals killed, though authorities there have not verified those numbers. South Africa has confirmed two deaths. Kenya has confirmed at least one fatality, while its National Intelligence Service recently reported that roughly 1,000 Kenyans may have been recruited to fight for Russia since the war began.
The emerging pattern has raised alarm across African governments: young men allegedly lured with promises of security jobs, high wages, or overseas contracts – only to find themselves in combat zones.
Ablakwa said Ghana is intensifying efforts to dismantle illegal recruitment networks, including those operating on the dark web. Public awareness campaigns are also being launched to warn young Ghanaians against falling prey to misinformation.
“This is not our war,” he said bluntly. “We cannot allow our youth to become human shields for others.”
The human cost is deeply personal. Among the two Ghanaians currently held as prisoners of war in Ukraine is 35-year-old Joshua Nkrumah. According to reports, Nkrumah left Dubai in July 2024 believing he had secured a private security job in Russia. By September, he had been captured by Ukrainian forces after surviving a drone strike.
His family says they have not heard from him since.
His father, Albert, described living under constant emotional strain. “I wake up and the first thing I think about is my son,” he reportedly said. “Whether he has eaten, whether he is safe, whether he still has hope.”
During his visit, Ablakwa appealed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the release of the two detained Ghanaians. He thanked Kyiv for respecting international humanitarian law, noting that Ghana had received assurances the detainees were in good health and had not been subjected to torture or inhumane treatment.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga confirmed discussions about the possibility of repatriation.
Meanwhile, Russia has denied orchestrating recruitment drives in Africa. Its embassy in Kenya has stated that while Moscow does not actively recruit foreigners abroad, Russian law permits foreign nationals legally present in the country to voluntarily enlist in its armed forces.
The broader reality is uncomfortable: economic vulnerability, unemployment, and global conflict are colliding in dangerous ways. Young Africans – from Accra to Nairobi to Johannesburg – are being pulled into a war thousands of kilometers away.
For Ghana, the confirmation of 55 dead is more than a statistic. It is a wake-up call.
A continental reckoning may be underway -one that forces governments to confront not just the recruiters operating in shadows, but the economic pressures that make such promises so powerful in the first place.
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