Ablakwa Lauds Better Visa Services for Ghanaians | By Prince Offeh
Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has inspected conditions at more than 20 embassies and visa application centres in Accra as part of efforts to improve the experience of Ghanaians seeking visas.
The working visit allowed the Minister to assess the current situation at visa application facilities and engage directly with Ghanaian applicants about their experiences.
Mr Ablakwa said he would use the findings from the exercise to engage Heads of Missions in the coming days, with the aim of securing improvements in the way visa applications are handled.
The Minister’s latest intervention builds on an engagement he undertook during his first month in office with diplomatic missions operating in Ghana. At the time, he urged missions to protect the dignity and welfare of Ghanaian visa applicants, reduce long waiting periods for appointments and improve arrangements for applicants waiting to access visa services.
Mr Ablakwa said the latest inspection showed that substantial progress had been made by some diplomatic missions, although he maintained that others needed to do more to improve conditions for applicants. “ I must acknowledge that substantial progress has been made by some missions, however, others must do more,” Mr. Ablakwa said in an X post after the visit.
“Nonetheless, they must take concrete steps to ensure the dignity of Ghanaians is safeguarded,” he said.
The Minister also reiterated that Ghana would not interfere with the sovereign authority of foreign diplomatic missions to determine who qualifies for their visas.
“As I have always emphasized, it is the prerogative of diplomatic missions to determine who qualifies for their visas; I shall not interfere with that,” he said, distinguishing a mission’s authority to make visa decisions from its responsibility to ensure the application process is conducted in conditions that respect applicants.
Mr Ablakwa said the government’s objective is to work with diplomatic missions to secure practical improvements rather than interfere in their visa decision-making processes.
The Minister is expected to engage Heads of Missions on his observations following the tour, potentially opening a new round of discussions on improving visa application conditions for Ghanaian travellers.
Ablakwa Lauds Better Visa Services for Ghanaians | AviationGhana.com
