No new recruitment at Ghana’s Embassy in Washington D.C. – Ablakwa

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has denied claims of new hires at Ghana's embassy in Washington D.C. He praised the performance of the diplomatic team after their first day back.

“Our reopened embassy issued over 800 visas on the first day,” Ablakwa shared on Facebook. He expects this efficiency and professionalism to continue.

Ablakwa commended the “fresh team of seasoned diplomats.” They have successfully executed major reforms to improve operations at the embassy.

“This shows that Ghanaian diplomats excel with proper support and leadership,” he noted. He also dismissed rumors about replacing outgoing staff with new recruits.

“There have been no new recruitments at our Washington embassy,” he stated. “We have enough distinguished diplomats to lead ongoing reforms.”

Ablakwa emphasized that these changes are part of a broader agenda for improvement. He rejected any notion that it is simply political patronage.

“This cannot be reduced to ‘jobs for the boys,’” he asserted.

In another matter, Ablakwa announced the invalidation of an unauthorized agreement involving Fred Kwarteng and a senior official at the embassy. This agreement has been declared null and void.

“More details about frozen accounts will be shared when I address Parliament next week,” he added.

Ghana’s embassy in Washington D.C. was closed due to an IT fraud incident. A staff member redirected visa applications to an external website, leading to his dismissal and the dissolution of the IT department.

The situation faced criticism from Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee.