Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs is inviting the public to submit memoranda on the shabby treatment meted out to Ghanaian visa applicants by foreign embassies in Ghana.
The invitation is also extended to Ghanaians residents abroad, and all memos should be channeled through the Clerk of Parliament to the Committee from now till December 8, 2017.
Mr Frank Annor-Dompreh, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah, a Ranking member, in a joint interview, encouraged the public and Ghanaian visa applicants to share their experiences of the treatment they received from the foreign Embassies to the committee to enable them to undertake investigations on the concerns raised.
Mr Annor-Dompreh called on Civil Society Groups in the country to assist the committee in its work with their inputs.
He said the Committee was working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure that all sides in the matter are treated fairly.
Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa said the inquiries by the Committee is about the dignity of the Ghanaian and not to jeopardise the country’s relationship with any nation and also not targeted at any embassy.
It would be recalled that on October 25, 2017, the Speaker of Parliament, Prof Mike Oquaye directed Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs to collaborate with his office to enquire into an alarm raised in the House about the shabby treatment meted out to visa applicants by some foreign embassies in Ghana.
His directive came after, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa had raised concerns on the floor of the House about the dehumanising treatment many Ghanaian visa applicants are subjected to by foreign embassies in the country.
He described some of these embassies to be extortionist, adding that, some of the embassies have not made any provision for a decent and safe waiting area where visa applicants may be hosted as they wait their turn during visa interview appointments.
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