The Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has dismissed claims that the United States’ decision to lift visa restrictions on Ghana is linked to the country’s agreement to accept deportees.
The Minister announced just days ago that the US reversed visa restrictions on Ghana, restoring eligibility for five year multiple entry visas.
The restrictions, which had been imposed in July, led to Ghana and several countries being downgraded to a three month single entry visa.
While some people celebrated the reversal, other speculated that it was linked to Ghana’s acceptance of West African nationals deported from the US.
However, in a post on social media on September 28, Ablakwa described them as ‘conspiracy theorists’ and urged Ghanaians to ignore them.
“Since Ghana became the only country under US visa restrictions to secure a reversal from the Trump Administration, an avalanche of conspiracy theories have been making the rounds. May I respectfully ask that you ignore the conspiracy theorists and scaremongers,” he wrote.
He assured Ghanaians that the agreement with the US would not compromise national security or make Ghana a dumping ground for deportees.
“Ghana will not be a dumping ground for US removals; Ghana is not accepting criminals from the US.The understanding with the US government to accept a very limited number of pre-vetted West African nationals without criminal backgrounds is consistent with our ECOWAS protocols and Pan-African credentials,” Ablakwa explained.
He further outlined the broader scope of Ghana’s negotiations with the US beyond migration issues.
“Claims that our ongoing negotiations with the US focuses solely on receiving US removals are false,” he wrote.
He then went on to say, “The negotiations I am leading on President Mahama’s instruction include a strong case for a reassessment of the 15% tariff imposed on Ghana.”
“Additionally we are negotiating a special Ghana-US trade deal, engaging on specific requests from US companies and holding fruitful talks on the future of AGOA which is of immense importance to Ghanaian garment companies,” he noted.
However, in the replies to his post, people asked for more clarity on what exactly the Ghana-US agreement entails.
