Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has praised the country’s diplomatic team in Washington D.C. after the embassy, recently reopened under a renewed operational strategy, processed over 800 visa applications on its first day of resumption.

In a Facebook post, Mr. Ablakwa commended the “fresh team of seasoned diplomats” for what he described as a remarkable display of “efficiency, professionalism and integrity.”

He attributed the successful start to a broader institutional reform agenda underway at Ghana’s foreign missions.

“This is testament that Ghanaian diplomats excel when provided with the right ecosystem and leadership,” the Minister stated on Friday.

The reopening follows a period of suspension linked to administrative overhauls and investigations into alleged misconduct and irregularities at the embassy.

Mr Ablakwa was firm in dispelling claims that the reforms had led to politically motivated job replacements.

“Contrary to false and baseless claims, there have been no new recruitments to replace lost jobs in our Washington embassy. We have an adequate stock of distinguished and astute diplomats to lead ongoing reforms,” he stressed.

He further announced the nullification of what he described as a “2023 unauthorized, opaque and illegal agreement” involving one Fred Kwarteng and a top official at the Washington Embassy. Details of this deal, alongside frozen accounts and other remedial actions, will be laid before Parliament in the coming week.

The move is seen as part of a larger effort to reposition the Foreign Ministry and reassert Ghana’s international reputation.