Ghana Embassy In Germany Under Attack

Officials at the Ghana Embassy in Germany have allegedly spent €150,000 (about ?1.425 billion) in the past five months on two 20-foot containers that cost only €13,000 (about ?123 million). A Ghanaian-born human rights activists in Germany, Mr. Anthony Rau, who disclosed the alleged wastefulness to The Weekend Heritage, said the containers became necessary because of the on-going renovation of the two-storey Ghana Embassy in Berlin. The containers are now serving as temporary offices of the Embassy.

Rau explains that the Ghana Embassy could have bought the same pair of containers outright for €13,000 but are instead hiring them from a construction company at €1,000 per day.


He also alleged that the renovation has meanwhile been abandoned, meaning that the outrage is not going to end any time soon.


"They (Embassy Personnel) could have stayed in the Bonn office until the completion of the new office in Berlin. This is a disgrace to the Ghana government and we Ghanaians domiciled in Germany", he bemoaned.


According to Rau, the container has no air conditioner, which makes it difficult for Visa applicants to stay in and do business; besides it can only house six people at a time.


He said the rented container has become a source of shame for the Ghanaian Community, who have threatened to go into the streets soon.


He said Ghanaians in Germany were also unhappy that application for Ghana Entry permit which should normally cost only €25.00 for single entry now attracts an additional €35.00 as endorsement fee.

Rau, who is a Ghanaian born in Germany and holds a German passport, also alleged that the Ghanaian authorities in Germany have introduced an illegal visa form which they called "Single Visa Express" for which an amount of €50.00 is charged each applicant.


He was disturbed by the fact that several appeals he had made to the Government to investigate the activities of The Embassy have fallen on deaf ears.


He expressed the hope that the new foreign Minister Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo would use his good wisdom to put things right.


Previous attempts to get the Foreign Ministry to comment on the story proved futile as no one was prepared to talk on the issue until the new minister assumed office.


Also yesterday, Mr. Maxwell Nyarkoh Personal Assistant to the Deputy Minister declined to comment.


Initially asked that he be called back in 20 minutes, but subsequently he asked for a questionnaire.