Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Minister of Foreign Affairs

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has strongly rejected claims made by former Deputy Foreign minister, Charles Owiredu, who asserted that visa processing times of 2 to 5 days were already standard under the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.

The issue came to the forefront following Ablakwa’s recent announcement that visa applications would now be processed within 2 to 5 days—a milestone he credited to efficiency reforms implemented by the current government.

However, Owiredu swiftly contested the claim, insisting that such turnaround times had already been achieved during the NPP’s tenure.

In a direct response posted on X (formerly Twitter), the Foreign Affairs Minister refuted the assertion, stating, “Honourable former Deputy Minister, you know you are absolutely wrong on this.”

He supported his rebuttal by citing official records from Ghana’s diplomatic missions during the NPP era, which he said contradict Owiredu’s claims.

Citing publicly available information, Ablakwa pointed out that the Ghana Embassy in Washington, D.C. listed visa processing times of 15 to 20 business days, while the mission in New York indicated a three-week wait.

Similarly, the embassy in Germany and the High Commission in the United Kingdom both reported processing windows of around 15 working days.

“These are just a few websites exposing your misleading presentation,” he wrote, challenging the narrative put forth by his predecessor.