Washington Embassy Saga: Fred Kwarteng insists he was hired in 2016, not 2017

Fred Kwarteng is the suspended Head of Information Technology at Ghana’s Embassy in Washington, D.C. He has challenged claims made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These claims concern his recruitment timeline and his role in a visa and passport payment scandal.

Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa posted on social media on May 26, 2025. He stated that Kwarteng was hired in August 2017. Ablakwa claimed Kwarteng created an unauthorized payment link for consular applicants. This link redirected applicants to his private company, Ghana Travel Consultants (GTC). It reportedly collected unapproved fees, leading to a temporary embassy shutdown for system updates.

In an interview on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen, Kwarteng disputed the minister's timeline. He denied any wrongdoing related to the allegations. Kwarteng stated that his official employment began earlier than August 2017.

“My official temporary contract letter is dated December 16, 2016,” he said. “It has been renewed every year since then.” He added that even his termination letter confirms this start date.

Kwarteng also mentioned he worked on various embassy projects from 2013 to 2016 before his formal engagement. He insisted that the online payment system he developed aimed to streamline operations, not defraud applicants.

“I reject the allegations of fraud,” he said. “I built the system in good faith to improve internal processing delays.” Kwarteng emphasized there was no malicious intent behind his actions.

While acknowledging his dismissal, he stressed that the accusations lack proper context. He believes discrepancies in the Ministry’s narrative should be addressed.