Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has visited more than 20 embassies and visa application centres to assess the conditions faced by Ghanaian visa applicants.
The working visit took place on Monday, October 5, and gave Mr Ablakwa the opportunity to observe the situation directly and speak with Ghanaian applicants about their experiences.
He said he would discuss his findings and observations with Heads of Missions in the coming days, with the aim of working jointly to secure improvements in the visa application process.
Mr Ablakwa said his visit followed an engagement with diplomatic missions during his first month as Foreign Minister, when he called on them to protect the dignity and welfare of Ghanaian applicants.
He also urged missions to address lengthy waits for appointments and provide suitable arrangements to ensure applicants were not left exposed to changing weather conditions while seeking visas.
“It will be recalled that in my first month in office as Foreign Minister, I engaged with diplomatic missions and urged them to protect the dignity and welfare of Ghanaian visa applicants, address long waiting periods for appointments, ensure adequate arrangements are made to prevent their applicants from being exposed and left at the mercy of the vagaries of the weather,” he wrote on X.
The minister acknowledged that some diplomatic missions had made significant progress, but said others needed to improve their arrangements.
“I must acknowledge that substantial progress has been made by some missions, however, others must do more,” he added.
Mr Ablakwa stressed that diplomatic missions retained the authority to decide which applicants qualified for visas and said he would not interfere with those decisions.
However, he said that authority did not remove the responsibility of missions to treat Ghanaian applicants with dignity and ensure their welfare was protected during the process.
“As I have always emphasised, it is the prerogative of diplomatic missions to determine who qualifies for their visas, I shall not interfere with that, nonetheless, they must take concrete steps to ensure the dignity of Ghanaians is safeguarded.”
