Ghanaians Given Temporary Visas Over Ukraine Crisis Absconding- Foreign Ministry

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, it is sad that some Ghanaians are failing to take advantage of the government’s plan to evacuate stranded citizens in Ukraine.

Ghanaians who were evacuated from Ukraine to neighboring European nations like Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic received temporary visas.

Kwabena Osei-Danquah, Special Advisor to Foreign Affairs Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, however, said the news of Ghanaians vanishing and remaining illegally in Europe is unacceptable.

In an interview with Accra-based Asaase Radio, Osei-Danquah said, “well, I mean as you can see, one of the reasons why it is usually hard for Ghanaians to travel to other countries is because there’s an image, a repetition, an experience that our citizens are among the citizens of other countries that travel to foreign countries and abuse their visas by disappearing and staying illegally in those countries.”

“…And I think people need to take responsibility because those countries that allow us to have our nationals crossover were doing Ghana a favour because we have friendly relations with them but also, they were doing the moral and humanitarian thing. So, abuse it, is unacceptable.”

Meanwhile, 17 Ghanaian students studying in Ukraine arrived in Ghana on Tuesday (1 March) at the Kotoka International Airport.

They are the first of more than 500 students who will be evacuated to Ghana as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Out of the total, Madam Botchwey added that 24 have already arrived in Bucharest, Romania, and are being aided by Ghanaian officials on the ground with aircraft tickets to Accra, while 48 are being processed at a holding location and another 60 are undergoing border formalities.

Source: Opemsuo.com/ Emmanuel Owusu Anti