President John Dramani Mahama has hailed the late Ambassador James Victor Gbeho as a diplomat whose leadership in international affairs and regional peacebuilding helped strengthen Ghana’s reputation and influence across the world.
Speaking at the state funeral of the former Foreign Affairs Minister and former President of the ECOWAS Commission, President Mahama said Ambassador Gbeho’s decades of public service reflected exceptional professionalism, integrity and patriotism.
He said the late diplomat viewed the responsibility of representing Ghana abroad as a solemn national duty.
“Wherever he served, Ghana’s flag flew a little higher because it was represented by a man of exceptional integrity, sound judgment and remarkable intellect,” the President said.
President Mahama highlighted Ambassador Gbeho’s extensive diplomatic career, particularly his tenure as Ghana’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York from 1980 to 1990, where he played a key role in advancing Ghana’s international standing.
He also praised the late statesman’s contributions to peacebuilding and regional integration, noting that his service extended beyond Ghana through his work as the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, ECOWAS Special Representative for Liberia, and later as President of the ECOWAS Commission.
According to the President, Ambassador Gbeho belonged to a generation of public servants whose influence was measured not only by the offices they held but by the institutions they strengthened and the people they mentored.
“His service did not end at our borders. He never stopped serving because service was not simply what he did; it was who he was,” President Mahama said.
Ambassador James Victor Gbeho, who died on June 14, 2026, at the age of 91, had a diplomatic career spanning more than 60 years.
Born on January 12, 1935, in Keta in the Volta Region, he served as Foreign Affairs Minister from 1997 to 2001, represented the Anlo Constituency in Parliament from 2001 to 2005, and held diplomatic assignments in China, India, Nigeria, Germany, the United Kingdom and Switzerland.
President Mahama said Ambassador Gbeho’s legacy would endure through his contributions to diplomacy, regional cooperation and Ghana’s engagement with the international community.
