Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has honoured the late Professor Jason Arday at a memorial service in the United Kingdom, praising the academic’s achievements and lasting influence.
The service was held in Southwark on October 20, 2026. Ablakwa said he joined Arday’s family, members of the Ghanaian community, Ghana’s High Commissioner to the UK, British MPs and ministers, the Mayor of London, Cambridge scholars, students and other loved ones to remember the professor.
Describing the gathering as a moving occasion, Ablakwa highlighted Arday’s appointment as the youngest Black professor at the University of Cambridge, saying his achievements would continue to inspire future generations.
He also paid tribute to Arday’s charitable work and used the occasion to reaffirm the Ghanaian government’s support for its citizens living abroad.
“The Government and People of Ghana will continue to stand by our compatriots everywhere they are in the world. As we do so, we profess our commitment to justice, equality and the creation of a new world,” Ablakwa wrote in a statement shared after the service.
He also recalled Arday’s response when asked what he would do to change the world.
“We shall always remember Prof. Arday for his response when asked what he will wish to do to change the world: ‘I would take a thread and a needle, and I’d interweave love into our society.’”
Ablakwa said Ghana remained committed to justice, equality and the creation of what he described as a new world.
Arday, a British sociologist, died on August 14, 2026, at the age of 41 in south London. His death came nine days after he resigned from the University of Cambridge amid plagiarism allegations.
At the time of his death, Arday was recognised as Cambridge’s youngest Black professor. His work as an academic and his charitable contributions were recalled during the memorial service attended by representatives of both Ghana and the UK.
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