The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to a myjoyonline.com report, is urging all Embassies and High Commissions in Ghana to put in place appropriate and humane conditions at their Embassies. According to the ministry, the move forms part of remedial measures to the numerous complaints by the public, on how Ghanaian citizens are treated when they visit Foreign Missions in Ghana for visa applications.
“The complaints cover issues such as not providing conducive waiting areas, non-availability of emergency services, long waiting times for appointment dates, as well as challenges in using visa application,” the website quoted the ministry as saying in a statement.
To address these concerns, the Ministry disclosed that it had dispatched an official communiqué to all Embassies and High Commissions urging them to put in place appropriate and humane conditions at their Embassies, High Commissions and visa centres. The Ministry expects that Foreign Missions will respond positively and appropriately to the request.
First of all, The Chronicles thanks the Foreign Ministry for bringing this important issue to the attention of the Embassies and High Commissions in the country. Indeed, the way some of these foreign missions treat our people is very appalling. When Canadians, Americans, British, French and citizens of other developed countries want to apply for visa to visit Ghana, most of them do not even visit our Embassies.
They only send their passports and other vital documents via courier to the Embassies and the latter also send the approved visa back to them through the same medium. They do not go and queue during odd hours looking for our visa. Regrettably, though these countries are the very ones that preach human rights to us in Africa, they, in most of the cases, practice the opposite.
Look at the way America, under Donald Trump, is deporting illegal migrants – they sometimes chain them to their seats on the plane and fly them (illegal migrants) long hours to their countries. If Ghana or any African country had arrested an American and deported him in such inhumane way, hell would have broken loose. But hey, this is America, the world’s only super power and you dare not challenge them or retaliate.
However, the issue that Ghana’s Foreign Ministry had raised is happening here in Ghana. The question then is – if we are not going to be accorded courtesies in their countries – should we be denied same in our own country? Much as Ghanaians have overwhelmed them with visa applications, does not mean that they should be treated like animals.
There must be proper appointment time and where possible all visa applications should be online. There is no need for human contact as Ghana is doing for their citizens when they want to visit our dear country. This would avoid the current embarrassment where large numbers of visa applicants have to queue in these embassies just to submit their visa applications or collect the visas.
Failure to provide proper washroom and waiting rooms for visa applicants and also forcing them to stand in a queue for long hours would have been a big issue in both United States of America and Europe, if some of these human rights violations had happened there.
The fact that we are black and poor does not mean we are no more part of the human race. It is, therefore, our fervent hope that this letter from our foreign ministry to the Embassies will be accorded the courtesy it deserves. Ghanaians are also human beings, period!
