The Ghana Embassy in Oslo and the Ghana Union (Oslo & Viken): United in Silence When Ghana Mourned

Sometimes silence tells its own story. It is not always just a lack of words. It can be a sign of hesitation, fear, or even hidden agreements. Over the past week, two of the most visible Ghanaian institutions in Norway, the Ghana Embassy in Oslo and the Union of Ghanaians in Norway (Oslo & Viken) have stayed silent when they should have spoken. And the way they stayed silent together is raising questions in our community.

On 6 August 2025, a helicopter crash in Ghana took the lives of eight people, including two serving ministers of state. It was one of the darkest moments for our nation in recent years. Across Ghana, political differences were set aside as leaders and citizens alike expressed their sorrow. Civil society groups spoke, and families grieved.

Swift action around the world
Even the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) came out quickly and called the crash a national tragedy. This was a commendable, non-partisan stance that put country before politics, and it deserves recognition.

By 8 August, just two days after the crash, Ghana’s embassies in Seoul, Washington, Monrovia, Algiers, and the High Commission in Abuja, among others, had already opened books of condolence. They knew that in times like this, action must be swift. Waiting is not an option when the nation is hurting.

But here in Norway, something very different happened. The Ghana Embassy in Oslo did not say a word until 13 August, nearly a full week later. The Union of Ghanaians in Norway (Oslo & Viken) also stayed silent all that time. Then, on 13 August, the Embassy finally opened a book of condolence. And almost immediately, the Union posted its own message of sympathy together with the Embassy’s announcement.

An excuse that does not add up.
When asked why they waited so long, the Chairman of the Union explained that they were “waiting for the Ghana Embassy to announce it first.” On the surface, that might sound like a harmless explanation. But when we look closer, it does not make sense.

By Norwegian law, the Union of Ghanaians in Norway is an independent, voluntary, non-governmental organisation. It does not answer to the Embassy. It has no legal duty to wait for or take instructions from the Embassy before speaking on a matter of national importance. It can act on its own, especially when it comes to something as simple and human as expressing condolences.

So why did the Union not speak until the Embassy did? And why did the Embassy take so long when other Ghanaian missions around the world acted in 24–48 hours?

The symbiotic silence and shared loyalties

This is where people start to notice a pattern: a symbiotic silence. The Embassy and the Union stayed quiet together. They acted together. It was almost as if one could not move without the other. Was this just coincidence? Or do they have common interests they are trying to protect?

We must remember that the senior officials at the Ghana Embassy in Oslo were appointed during the time of the NPP government. The Union’s leadership has also been widely seen as friendly to the same party. This is not a crime. Many organisations have political sympathies. But in this case, even the NPP in Ghana spoke out early and clearly. If their perceived allies in Norway could not do the same, what stopped them?

The danger here is that when two institutions are so closely linked, they can become more concerned with protecting each other than with serving the people they represent. In this case, their shared silence gave the impression that they were watching each other, waiting for a green light, instead of leading from the front.

For ordinary Ghanaians in Norway, the effect was the same: we were left without a public voice in our time of grief. While other Ghanaian communities around the world saw their embassies and associations step up, here in Norway we saw our leaders hide in the shadows for nearly a week.

What this says about our leaders
Leadership is not about moving in perfect step with someone else. It is about stepping forward when it matters most, even if you have to move first. It is about showing empathy, unity, and courage. By staying silent, the Embassy and the Union failed to do these things.

This is why their silence feels so heavy. It is not just about what they did not say. It is about what that silence suggests. It suggests dependence instead of independence. It suggests fear instead of confidence. It suggests that in moments of national crisis, they may not act for the people, but for their own comfort, convenience, or connections.

The implications are glaring. This was not about protocol or respect for procedure. This was about a failure of courage, initiative, and moral responsibility. The Embassy and the Union moved in lockstep not in leading the community, but in waiting together, as if paralysed, until the very last moment.

The NPP’s early acknowledgment proves it was possible to speak with dignity and unity from the very start. The fact that our Embassy and our Union could not follow that example, even when other Ghanaian missions around the world had already acted, is baffling. It makes their delay look less like caution and more like an agreement to wait, no matter how bad it looked.

The question we must ask
In times of national sorrow, hesitation is not prudence. It is abandonment. And when two institutions choose to hesitate together, it is natural for people to start wondering. What else might they agree on in silence?

This time, both the Embassy in Oslo and the Union of Ghanaians in Norway (Oslo & Viken) failed the Ghanaian community in Norway. And until they show that they can act independently, promptly, and with the nation’s interest at heart, that failure will not be forgotten.

Dr Moses Deyegbe Kuvoame is an Associate Professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway.