The late James Victor Gbeho
Veteran Ghanaian diplomat, James Victor Gbeho, has died at the age of 91, having served as a diplomat for more than four decades.
James Victor Gbeho, who was born on January 12, 1935, in Keta, Volta Region, died on Saturday, June 13, 2026. He was the son of Philip Gbeho, the renowned Ghanaian composer credited with composing Ghana’s national anthem.
James Victor Gbeho served as diplomat to Ghana’s missions in China, India, Nigeria, Germany, the United Kingdom and Switzerland.
He later served as Ghana’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York from 1980 to 1990, representing the country during a period of significant geopolitical change.
In 1994, he was appointed Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General to Somalia, a role that placed him at the centre of international efforts to restore stability in the Horn of Africa, and later served as ECOWAS Special Representative to Liberia following efforts to resolve the country’s civil conflict.
Under former President Jerry John Rawlings, Gbeho entered politics and served as Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1997 to 2001, and also represented the Anlo Constituency in Parliament from 2001 to 2005.
Apart from serving as Foreign Affairs Minister, Victor Gbeho was later elected as President of the ECOWAS Commission in February 2010, where he worked to deepen regional integration and strengthen cooperation among member states.
Gbeho continued to serve as a foreign policy adviser to former President John Evans Atta Mills, offering guidance on regional and international affairs after serving his tenure at the ECOWAS Commission in 2012.
By Ebenezer K. Amponsah