Franklin Cudjoe, the President of Policy Think Tank, IMANI Africa, has quizzed the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, on whether the US visa reversal was all Ghana got for accepting West African US deportees.
He noted that Ablakwa could have negotiated for a good reduction of the15% tariff imposed on Ghana.
According to Franklin Cudjoe, he wished Ablakwa had not posted and celebrated the US visa restrictions reversal.
He highlighted that Ghana should not be settling for a visa pittance after President Mahama’s daring speech on Gaza.
Franklin Cudjoe, in his post on X, wrote, “ Frankly, my brother Honourable Okudzeto, I wish this had not been posted and celebrated. We had this already. Yes, I know the Trump administration threatened visa restrictions, but we could have negotiated for more, perhaps a good reduction of the 15% tariff imposed on Ghana.
He added, “Knowing that Trump is a deal maker on almost everything and given our President’s daring , audaciously great speech on Gaza, we should not be settling for this visa pittance. Is this all we got from taking in our deportee West African neighbours? Anyways”
His comments follow Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa’s announcement that Ghana has secured a major diplomatic breakthrough with the United States.
According to the Foreign Affairs Minister, the US has reversed its visa restrictions imposed on Ghana in July this year.
Ghanaians are now eligible for five-year multiple-entry visas, along with other enhanced consular privileges.
The Minister revealed that the information was communicated to him by the US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Allison Hooker, during a bilateral meeting with Ghana’s delegation at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa made this known on his social media page X on Friday, September 26, he wrote, “Big win for Ghana!
The US visa restrictions imposed on Ghana has been reversed.
Ghanaians can now be eligible for five-year multiple-entry visas and other enhanced consular privileges.
This good news was directly communicated to me by US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Allison Hooker at a bilateral meeting earlier today, in the margins of the UN General Assembly”.
Ablakwa post added, “I am really pleased that months of high-level diplomatic negotiations has led to a successful outcome.
It will be recalled that the US imposed visa restrictions on Ghana and other countries in July this year. The affected countries were slapped with a maximum three-month single-entry visa and other limitations. In the specific case of Ghana, the Trump Administration said they were reacting to many years of visa overstays, mainly by students”.
Ablakwa described the reversal as a healthier and stronger Ghana-US relations.
Meanwhile, some Ghanaians have reacted to Franklin Cudjoe’s comments, saying, “When it was reversed to 3months, it was publicised for the people of Ghana to be aware. What then is wrong if further deliberations resulted in it going back to 5yrs?.
Don’t the people of Ghana deserve to know just as we knew of the changes?.
Must we criticise everything?”.
“I beg to differ on this one. The duration for the Visa was revised from five years to three months, so it’s not accurate that we already had this. We could indeed get a better deal but let’s give credit when it is due”, one more netizen wrote.
Another netizen wrote, “I disagree with your submission here. You’ve to look at the visa ban in a broader perspective. I know a lot of people who’ve lost business opportunities because of the ban. Going to the US is not only for sightseeing”.
Additionally, a netizen fired, “Franklin, you are the biggest hypocrite alive. Commend the minister and stop this tangential. You don’t know the minister better. Which kind of crab mentality is this? You always want to find fault with sth. This is a retrogressive attitude. Stop misinforming the public for once!”.
See the post below:
Frankly, my brother Honourable Okudzeto, I wish this had not been posted and celebrated. We had this already. Yes, l know the Trump administration threatened visa restrictions, but we could have negotiated for more, perhaps a good reduction of the 15% tariff imposed on Ghana.… https://t.co/mzFLUPHv4g
— Franklin CUDJOE (@lordcudjoe) September 27, 2025