The Minority Caucus has called for the immediate removal of Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, accusing him of repeated diplomatic missteps that have left Ghana exposed internationally, particularly over the recent U.S. visa policy affecting Ghanaian citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The statement was delivered at a press conference on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, by Nana Asafo\u2011Adjei Ayeh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGhana has always been a model of stability and reliability abroad,\u201d he said. \u201cUnder this Minister, that reputation is collapsing. We are now listed as a \u2018migration risk\u2019 by the United States and facing diplomatic setbacks with Israel and Europe\u2014all preventable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Minority\u2019s criticism comes amid a major shift in U.S. immigration policy. In January 2026, the U.S. State Department announced it would pause immigrant visa processing for nationals of 75 countries, including Ghana, from January 21, 2026, indefinitely, citing concerns that applicants are likely to become dependent on public benefits and require further review of screening procedures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ghana\u2019s inclusion in the visa suspension has triggered concern among lawmakers back home. The Member of Parliament for Damongo and Ranking Member on Parliament\u2019s Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Abu Jinapor, earlier described the inclusion as a worrying sign of diplomatic drift in relations with the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The visa pause affects immigrant visas (permanent residency) and does not apply to B1\/B2 business or tourism applications, according to Ghana\u2019s Ambassador to the United States, Victor Smith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ayeh elaborated on the Minority\u2019s stance: \u201cA competent Foreign Minister engages quietly, anticipates challenges, and preserves alliances. Mr Ablakwa has chosen confrontation over negotiation, and public theatrics over professional discretion. The cost has been borne by our people and our economy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He referenced past Ghanaian diplomats, saying: \u201cGhanaians like Kofi Annan, Muhammad Mumuni, and Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey knew that influence is earned through reliability, not volume or social media applause. Our nation deserves no less today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Minority concluded: \u201cPresident Mahama must act decisively. This Minister has demonstrated he lacks the temperament and competence for the office. Ghana\u2019s reputation and the welfare of our citizens demand immediate change.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Minority Caucus has called for the immediate removal of Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, accusing him of repeated diplomatic missteps that have left Ghana exposed internationally, particularly over the recent U.S. visa policy affecting Ghanaian citizens. The statement was delivered at a press conference on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, by Nana Asafo\u2011Adjei Ayeh. \u201cGhana […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24995,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.fawefmonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24994","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.fawefmonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.fawefmonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.fawefmonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.fawefmonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24994"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.fawefmonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24994\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24996,"href":"https:\/\/blog.fawefmonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24994\/revisions\/24996"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.fawefmonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.fawefmonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.fawefmonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.fawefmonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}