Woman's 'horrific experience' at NYC Ghana Embassy sparks outpouring of bad online reviews

A woman who has been identified as being part of demonstrators of the US edition of #OccupyJubileeHouse that occurred in October 2023, Yaa Tabby, has shared what she describes as a ‘horrific experience’ when she visited the Ghanaian Consulate General (Ghana Embassy) in New York on Wednesday, March 27, 2024.

In the series of tweets breaking down all that she said happened, she described how she was deliberately overlooked and made to wait for so long, even after people she came before were given preferential and quick treatment.

Just like others, she said she had gone to the Ghana Embassy in New York to pick up her brother-in-law’s visa after it was not mailed to them, but she was made to wait while others were served.

Yaa Tabby, sharing this on X, said she then got agitated at a point when someone who was unauthorized kept going in and out of a ‘Staff Only’ room to bring passports out for some people who came to meet her there.

“Upon arriving, I wrote down his name and number and was asked to take a seat, which I did. A lady came out and started calling out names for the visas. Three gentlemen were there to pick up other people (one for his daughter and the other two for a group). She called out the names and asked who she was missing, so I politely told her my brother-in-law's name again. She asked if I had written his name down, and I said yes. She told me to wait for the next batch of names, and I obliged.

“As I sat down again to wait for my turn, a young lady came in and asked if they had mentioned her mum's name because she had missed it, and she was asked to wait for the next round of names like I was told to. Five minutes later, a guy with dreadlocks came in and spoke… to the young lady waiting (they seemed to know each other well). This guy proceeded to go into the office that read STAFF ONLY (DO NOT ENTER UNLESS AUTHORIZED), so I assumed he worked there when he entered. No wahala! He came out and spoke to the same young lady again and went back in the second time. This time, he returned with a passport in his hands and handed it to the girl, and she said, "Oh, thank you, anka mɛtena ha akyɛ." Sis got up and left. A guy who also came to meet me was...

"... called outside by this guy, and the passports he was there to pick up were handed to him as well. So the thing gingers me, and I got up and asked why that guy was handing out passports and visas because he wasn't responsible for that,” she tweeted.

After asking questions, she found the gentleman was not authorized to do so. She went back to her seat and waited to be called, after confronting some of the workers.

When she got called to the counter, she said she got the shock of her life, although what she was asked to do only made her laugh.

“I calmly sat down and waited to be called, and finally, the short, chubby lady (the one that calls out names) called me to the window. I got up and walked there, thinking I was just picking it up like THE REST OF THE PEOPLE DID. Still, no, this lady looked me in the eye and said, and I quote, "I need an authorization letter from the person you are picking it up for and let him send it to ghanaconsulate@aol.com" I just started laughing out loud because, ma'am, please make it make sense!

“Several people walked in here and picked up passports and visas on behalf of other people, but you didn't even ask for an ID! I went out and called my brother-in-law, and he wrote the letter and sent it to the email. 2 minutes later, I walked up there and told the other gentleman that the letter was sent, so if they can check and verify it, I can get out, please. That was when this short, dark lady (according to my investigation, she's called Mimi) came to the window and said I should go and print out the letter because they don't have printers in the Embassy. She said ‘watɔ printer wɔha sɛ yɛmfa printi papers ɛmma wo, sɛ wokaasɛ wo nkoara na wonim mmara.’

“That was when I lost it, so because I spoke up about something bad that I have witnessed, you are trying to frustrate me. The ladies at the back were speaking Ga and laughing, and I know damn well they were talking shit about me, so me too. I gave it to them! She even told me it wouldn't go anywhere when I said I would file a complaint,” she added.

She tagged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in her tweets and demanded that they respond to how it is that its officials can behave in such an unprofessional way.

Following her tweets, some other Ghanaians shared their experiences from the same Ghana Embassy.

See those reactions and reviews below:

A Norwegian friend wanted to visit Ghana last December, so he went to the Ghana embassy in Oslo to ask about the requirements to secure a visa. The lady he met at the embassy told him to ‘go and look it up on the embassy’s website’ .

He had indeed checked the website before going

— Happy Millennial (@boatengkay1) March 28, 2024

You’re not alone on this. It’s crazy out here. Suffers same feat in 2021 and I vowed that should I encounter such unprofessionalism again it will be a bloody affair.

— Marie???? (@Marie_MissB) March 28, 2024

Wow! I’m sorry this happened to you but sounds like it’s par for the course.

In Toronto, you still have to deal with them online. I got so sick of dealing with them, I ended up just getting my dual citizenship in GH just so I never have to deal with these people again.

— Vivian Kaye (@itsviviankaye) March 28, 2024

As for that place a friend had a horrible experience too. Some of the staff have planted their spouses or concubines working in the same consular section. A lot of money flows through there( bribe) if you don’t put something inside envelope you’ll wait forever. Corruption

— CurrencyForte. (@CurrencyForte7) March 28, 2024

Read the full tweet by Yaa Tabby below:

I want to share my horrific experience with the Consulate General of Ghana in New York (Ghana Embassy). My spirit will not be happy if I keep mute about this issue. @GhanaMFA @AyorkorBotchwey @HajiaMaha1

— Yaa Tabby (@DuncOnEm) March 27, 2024

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