The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has alleged that a former Ghanaian envoy to the Ghana Mission in Washington signed a lifetime contract with a dismissed IT officer, Fred Kwarteng, resulting in significant financial loss to the state.

According to the Minister, Mr Kwarteng, a local staff member at the Ghana Embassy in the United States, signed the contract on January 1, 2023, with the former Ambassador, Hajia Alima Mahama, to legitimise what he described as an illegal diversion of visa and passport application fees — a scheme that reportedly began in September 2019.

“It is interesting to note that the contract Hajia Alima Mahama signed was literally forever. This is the only contract I have seen that does not have a termination clause. It does not have a duration. Apart from the clear conflict of interest, it carried out these services in perpetuity,” Mr Ablakwa said.

Addressing the media in Accra on Thursday, June 26, 2025, the Minister revealed that Mr Kwarteng was issued a query in November 2019 when the illegality was first detected by the Embassy. In his response, the IT officer claimed the system was a pilot service and requested a meeting with the Embassy’s management to clarify its operations.

Mr Ablakwa questioned the legality of the contractual arrangement between the former Ambassador and her subordinate, arguing that it breached both Ghanaian law and the protocols of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“How can an ambassador sign an agreement for the provision of courier services and other services with her own IT officer, who had been accused in 2019 and admitted on 22 November 2019 to this illegality?

“This unauthorised link diverts 99 per cent of all visa and passport applications without going through the Embassy’s system,” he alleged.

Criticism

Mr Ablakwa suggested that the former Ambassador’s recent public criticisms of the Ministry were a desperate attempt to divert attention from her role in the matter.

“I can understand why she is desperately all over the place, from one radio station to the other. She knows that she is really at the heart of this and the ongoing legal investigations will soon catch up with her.

“She should not rely on force; she should not seek to distort what the facts are, and she should understand the gravity of the infractions and breaches that are at stake in this matter,” he added.