Photo: Charles Owiredu former Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister
A former Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, Charles Owiredu, has cast doubt over whether Ghana’s latest diplomatic plea for fairer visa treatment will make any real impact.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently fired off a stern communiqué to embassies and high commissions in Ghana, urging them to improve conditions for visa applicants. The move follows mounting complaints from frustrated Ghanaians facing gruelling queues, lack of proper waiting areas, delayed appointment dates, and poor emergency services.
But Owiredu, who once served as Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa and now represents Abirem in Parliament, isn’t convinced. He warns that the diplomatic memo may be nothing more than a paper-pushing exercise, likely to be brushed aside by foreign missions.
“Simply issuing a Note Verbale won’t fix this. The best approach is direct engagement. These embassies operate under the Vienna Convention, which protects their operations. Without dialogue, this will just sit on a desk, ignored,” he cautioned.
His concerns come amid a growing exodus trend, with a 2024 Afrobarometer report revealing that six in ten Ghanaians are looking to leave the country for greener pastures. Many cite economic hardship as the driving force, fueling a booming visa industry where dodgy middlemen prey on desperate applicants.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry insists this is just the first step in a broader crackdown to clean up the sector and demand fair treatment for Ghanaians seeking to travel legally. But whether embassies will actually listen remains to be seen.
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