The entrance of the Ghanaian embassy in Washington DC
The reopening of the Ghanaian Embassy in Washington DC, USA, saw a surge in visa issuance, with over 800 visas issued following its closure due to alleged corrupt practices by staff.
In an update, Minister of Foreign Affairs Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa expressed optimism, attributing the surge in visa issuance and the smooth operations at the embassy to the professionalism of the staff assigned there.
He also indicated that a new team of diplomats sent to the embassy has implemented measures, including a system overhaul and institutional clean-up, to eliminate any residual effects from the alleged corrupt activities that led to the closure.
“From the briefing I have received, our reopened embassy in Washington DC issued over 800 visas yesterday on the first day of resumption. I expect this level of efficiency, professionalism and integrity to continue,” he said on Friday, May 30, 2025.
He added, “Let me commend our fresh team of seasoned diplomats for the great job so far in implementing our systems overhaul and institutional fumigation. This is testament that Ghanaian diplomats excel when provided with the right ecosystem and leadership.”
Background
Ghana’s Embassy in Washington DC reopened on Thursday, May 29, 2025 after being temporarily closed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
The facility was shut down on Monday, May 26, 2025, following a purported corruption scandal involving the Embassy’s visa department.
A local IT worker is alleged to have transferred Embassy monies into a personal account, Minister Ablakwa disclosed in a Facebook post.
This link redirected applicants for visa and passport services to his private company, Ghana Travel Consultants (GTC), where unapproved fees ranging from $29.75 to $60 were charged and deposited into his personal account. Investigations suggest this scheme operated undetected for at least five years.
In response to the scandal, all Foreign Affairs Ministry staff posted to the Washington DC embassy were recalled to Accra.
The embassy’s IT department was dissolved, and all locally recruited staff were suspended pending further investigation.
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