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Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa says the Mahama administration will cover the full travel expenses of Doris Adu Gyamfi, mother of murdered 15-year-old Ghanaian teenager Javits Frimpong, to enable her to travel to the United States to attend her son’s funeral.
He also disclosed that the government is prepared to support the organisation of a befitting funeral for the deceased teenager.
In a social media post on Saturday, October 31, 2026, Mr Ablakwa expressed appreciation to New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and US President Donald Trump for their intervention in securing an immediate visa for the bereaved mother.
He described President Trump’s decision as timely and welcomed the support from the New York mayor.
The Foreign Affairs Minister said he had spoken with Madam Adu Gyamfi on Friday and directed officials of the Ministry to assist her with the visa application process.
“I spoke with the mother of Javits Frimpong yesterday and assigned officials of Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to assist her with the visa application process,” he said.
Mr Ablakwa described the mother’s grief as unimaginable, stressing that every effort must be made to ensure she travels to the United States to bid her son farewell.
“Madam Doris Adu Gyamfi’s pain as a loving mother is unimaginable and indeed everything must be done to ensure she is present to pay her respects,” he added.
His comments follow an announcement by New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani that President Trump had agreed to grant the bereaved mother an immediate visa.
In a post on X on Saturday, October 31, Mayor Mamdani said he had spoken with the US President about the tragedy, emphasising that Javits’ mother deserved the opportunity to say goodbye to her son in person.
“The murder of a child is a pain no parent should have to endure, let alone from thousands of miles away. Javits Frimpong’s mother deserves to say goodbye to her son in person,” he wrote.
He added that the entire city of New York was mourning the tragedy.
Javits Frimpong was shot in the abdomen shortly before 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, October 29, near East 171st Street and Crotona Place in the Claremont section of the Bronx, New York.
The 15-year-old was reportedly on his way to DreamYard Preparatory School when he was attacked.
After being shot, he managed to run for about a block before collapsing. He was subsequently rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) is searching for three teenage suspects, aged between 16 and 18, who were reportedly last seen wearing black clothing and blue surgical masks. No arrests had been reported as of Friday.
Javits’ father, Thomas Frimpong, told CBS News that his son moved from Ghana to the United States about a year ago to live with him.
His mother, Doris Adu Gyamfi, is based in Kumasi, Ghana.
The father has suggested that bullying at school may have been connected to the killing. According to him, the school’s principal contacted him three days before the shooting to report that two students had been suspended for bullying his son.
Police have, however, not established a motive for the killing.
The Ghanaian government has condemned the teenager’s murder and pledged support to the bereaved family as investigations into the incident continue.
Source:Omanghana
