By James Amoh Junior
Accra, May 27, GNA – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced the reopening of the Embassy of Ghana in Washington DC, United States of America, following a closure due to internal restructuring and investigations into alleged financial and administrative malpractices.
In a statement, the Ministry disclosed that the Embassy would resume operations on Thursday, May 29, 2025, after a comprehensive overhaul of its systems, led by a team of seasoned diplomats and an Information Technology (IT) task force.
The reopening follows the recall of all home-based staff and the suspension of local staff amid concerns over integrity lapses and unauthorized activities within the Mission.
The Ministry said the newly deployed team would work to restore transparency, ensure accountability, and complete the structural reforms initiated at the Mission.
According to the statement, the IT team has already taken steps to reconfigure the Embassy’s website and payment platforms to eliminate unofficial and unauthorized links that had compromised the system’s integrity.
The Ministry emphasized its regret for the inconvenience caused to the public, particularly passport and visa applicants, and assured that measures had been implemented to clear the backlog of applications.
This reopening comes in the wake of an earlier announcement by Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Foreign Affairs Minister who revealed that the Auditor-General had been invited to conduct a forensic audit of all financial and operational transactions at the Embassy.
The aim, he noted, was to determine the full extent of the alleged fraud and assess the total cost to the State.
Mr Ablakwa had indicated that the closure of the Mission was part of a wider system overhaul aimed at rooting out corruption and abuse of office.
“Any inconvenience these radical measures may cause visa and passport applicants is regretted. President Mahama’s government will continue to demonstrate zero tolerance for corruption, naked conflict of interest, and blatant abuse of office,” he said at the time.
The Ministry reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing service delivery, safeguarding transparency, and protecting Ghana’s image internationally.
GNA
Edited by Christian Akorlie
May 27, 2025