Kwasi Pratt angry as Education Minister queues for US Visa

Kwasi Pratt, Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper has descended heavily on the US Embassy in Ghana for what he describes as unfair treatment meted out to public office holders of the country especially to ministers.

Speaking on Peace FM's 'Kokroko' hosted by Kwame Sefa Kayi, Mr. Pratt who was informed about the Education Minister's situation via a text couldn't hide his disappointments.

"I have received a text message from one big elderly man in Ghana, informing me of he seeing the Minister of Education queuing for a visa at the US Embassy", he said.

A peeved Mr. Pratt, asked, "Imagine, would a USA minister queue for a Visa to come to Ghana".

"I am so angry, I can't help myself. I mean how, are that inferior to the extent that, our ministers cannot be accorded simple ordinary courtesies accorded to any minister anywhere in the world. What is this? ...... so angry, so angry", he told Kwame Sefa Kayi.

Mr Pratt further asked the Akufo-led government to take immediate action to stop such 'disrespect' from the US embassy.

"Why do we have to reduce ourselves to this level. This must not be allowed. Our government must put his foot down. The embassies must show respect to us (ministers). Why do they do that to us? ...Minister for Education, queuing for a Visa?. Why, what at all is he going to do in the US, that is very important for him to go and queue for a Visa?", he lamented.

The United States of America has placed a visa ban on some category of applicants in Ghana over the failure of the Ghanaian government to collaborate with the deportation of Ghanaians arrested for illegally living in the US.

A statement issued on February 1, 2019, by the US statement department said Ghana may be laden with further sanctions if the government does not begin to collaborate to receive its citizens marked for deportation.

“Ghana has failed to live up to its obligations under international law to accept the return of its nationals removed from the United States,” a statement by Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen said.

It added: “Pursuant to her authority under Section 243(d) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen notified Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that the Government of Ghana has denied or unreasonably delayed accepting their nationals ordered removed from the United States. As a result, Secretary of State Pompeo has ordered consular officers in Ghana to implement visa restrictions on certain categories of visa applicants.

“Without an appropriate response from Ghana, the scope of these sanctions may be expanded to a wider population. The sanctions will remain in place until the Secretary of Homeland Security notifies Secretary Pompeo that cooperation on removals has improved to an acceptable level.”