ACCRA – Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, says he will travel to Latvia to seek answers over the death of a Ghanaian student, Nana Agyei Ahyia, as investigations into the circumstances surrounding the case continue.
In a social media post dated December 22, 2025, Ablakwa said he has formally notified the Latvian government of his decision to go to Latvia for talks with his counterpart and to engage investigators.
“… My formal notification to the Latvian government of my decision to travel to Latvia to hold talks with my counterpart and engage investigators,” he disclosed.
Ablakwa made the disclosure after meeting the family of the deceased at Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, where he conveyed condolences and briefed them on steps taken so far.
The case of Nana Agyei, an 18-year-old Electrical Engineering student at Riga Technical University who died in June 2025 after reportedly falling from his apartment building in Riga, has triggered intense public concern in Ghana and renewed scrutiny of how the state protects its citizens abroad.[1] His relatives have consistently rejected suggestions of suicide and alleged foul play, pressing Ghanaian authorities for a more forceful diplomatic response.
Latvian investigation still not concluded, minister says
Ablakwa said the planned visit is aimed at direct engagement with Latvian authorities while inquiries into Nana Agyei Ahyia’s death remain ongoing.
He said Latvian authorities have confirmed the investigation has not been concluded.
“… Confirmation by Latvian authorities that investigations into the circumstances leading to the death of Nana Agyei have not been concluded,” he noted.
The minister has also indicated that Latvian officials have agreed in principle to receive a Ghanaian delegation in Riga in January 2026, a step he frames as part of Ghana’s broader effort to “pursue truth and justice” in the case.[2]
Fact-finding mission dispatched from Ghana’s embassy in Germany
As part of efforts to establish the facts, Ablakwa said the Foreign Affairs Ministry dispatched a fact-finding mission from Ghana’s embassy in Germany, which holds concurrent accreditation to Latvia, and that the mission has submitted a preliminary report to the ministry.
“After directly conveying my deepest condolences, I briefed the family on interventions carried out by the Ministry following the tragic loss of Nana Agyei which include promptly dispatching a fact-finding mission from our embassy in Germany having regard of their concurrent accreditation to Latvia.
“The fact-finding mission has presented a preliminary report to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” he indicated.
The ministry’s actions fall under Ghana’s consular protection obligations, which require the state to use diplomatic and legal channels to safeguard nationals abroad and to seek accountability when they die or come to harm in foreign jurisdictions. Officials say the preliminary findings from the Berlin mission will inform Ghana’s position when the delegation sits down with Latvian investigators and prosecutors.
Ablakwa also said his delegation to Latvia will include representatives of Nana Agyei Ahyia’s family, a move intended to increase transparency and give the relatives direct insight into how Latvian institutions are handling the case.
In addition, he said the government will engage independent experts to analyse investigative reports, including an expected final report from Latvian authorities, to guide subsequent actions “in the interest of justice.” Such expert review is expected to cover forensic, medical, and procedural aspects of the Latvian investigation before Ghana decides on any further diplomatic or legal steps.
In the same December 22, 2025 post, Ablakwa wrote: “I invited the family of the late Nana Agyei Ahyia to a meeting at the Foreign Ministry earlier today.
After directly conveying my deepest condolences, I briefed the family on interventions carried out by the Ministry following the tragic loss of Nana Agyei which include:
1)… ”
Family members have previously petitioned Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Ministry and Parliament, arguing that the initial handling of the case in Latvia was inadequate and that inconsistencies in the accounts of Nana Agyei’s death demand a more robust response from Accra.[3]
The Foreign Affairs Ministry has reiterated its resolve to pursue diplomatic and legal avenues to ensure clarity and accountability as the case develops, with Ablakwa’s planned visit intended to support direct engagement with Latvian officials and investigators. The minister has repeatedly stressed that the Ghanaian state will not allow the death of one of its citizens abroad to go unexplained or unchallenged where there are credible concerns about foul play.
